Baby Great White Shark Spotted In Monterey While Massive Adult Lurks Nearby
A baby white shark drew the attention of beachgoers in Monterey this weekend while a massive adult great white lurked in the area almost completely unnoticed.
The small shark was spotted on Sunday morning during preparations for the Monterey Bay SportsFest at Del Monte Beach, according to KSBW, quickly becoming the focus of attention on the beach.
“Adults and children were amazed and intrigued after the lifeguards identified it as a harmless salmon shark. There was a giant crowd following it as it was cruising in the shallows for a good 20 minutes,” said Rachael Zalan, who witnessed the animal.
Later that day, a small shark appeared at Monterey State Beach, likely the same one that caused a stir at the nearby SportsFest. Siobhan Thomas related that the shark approached her daughters who were in the water at the time.
Great White Shark at Old Fisherman’s Wharf Monterey California Video (28 sec): http://t.co/AROq7hqbfU pic.twitter.com/hRES4g2EAg
— Shark Attack News (@SharkNewsToday) October 7, 2014
“We were enjoying the beautiful weather today at Monterey State Beach,” she said. “As we watched our daughters boogie boarding we saw this shark swimming towards my daughter! My husband pulled the shark out of the water by its tail, only to be told that was illegal because it was a baby great white!”
The next day, a similar-sized shark was spotted in Monterey Bay and filmed by diver Patrick Webster. When his video was analyzed by Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, the shark was identified as a baby great white.
“Most white shark pups are seen down off Southern California and Baja regions, and much earlier in the year, typically,” said Van Sommeran.
As Shark Attack News points out, the animal appeared to be injured, keeping its tail lower than normal.
“This is a juvenile great white,” commented Sandy Kinne. “I studied these gorgeous creatures in Mossel Bay, South Africa. He clearly has injuries sustained most likely from other sharks & or seals. He is not in good shape.”
Massive Great White Shark chasing fish near surfers http://t.co/bsVDB13lr4 pic.twitter.com/WO9Lt9z8Yk — Tracking Sharks (@trackingsharks) September 22, 2014
While beachgoers in Monterey were focused on the juvenile shark, a much larger adult great white was spotted just to the North, near Marina State Beach, on Sunday. Van Sommeran, who viewed the shark from a helicopter, described it as an 18-foot-long great white. The shark was observed shadowing a pod of dolphins, much like a great white in Australia that was filmed by a drone several weeks ago, as The Inquisitr noted.
On Monday, while the juvenile shark was filmed, the adult great white was spotted just 200 feet from shore at Fort Ord Dunes.
[Images: Patrick Webster via Vimeo and Specialized Helicopters via KSBW]
