Great White Sightings Fail To Deter Beachgoers

A great white shark spotted off the coast of Doran Beach in Sonoma County last week did not dissuade Labor Day beachgoers despite being the third Bay Area shark sighting this summer, a park ranger said.

About six people reported seeing a great white shark eating a sea lion on Thursday about 200 yards away from the shore, Doran Beach supervising park ranger James MacMillan said.

Signs warning surfers and swimmers about the shark were posted on Thursday and remained up through Labor Day weekend, MacMillan said. But people still flocked to Doran City Park and Doran Beach.

In fact, by noon on Labor Day, the park and beach had reached its maximum capacity, and people had to be turned away, he said.

The warning signs did not seem to worry anyone, MacMillan said.

He said that there have been no additional shark sightings at Doran Beach and that last week's sighting was believed to have been an isolated incident.

"For Doran Park, it's very unusual (to see sharks)," MacMillan said of the recreation area at the northern tip of Bodega Bay. "It's a really protected beach. They're out there, but for one to come that close is very unusual."

Bodega Bay is a breeding ground for great whites, MacMillan said, but most shark sightings occur north of Doran Beach in the Salmon Creek area or the bay. They're almost always farther out to sea than Thursday's passing predator.

Witnesses estimated the shark was about 18 feet long, MacMillan said, but he added that it's hard to determine the size of a fish eating a sea lion in open water from 200 yards away.

There have been previous shark sightings south of Sonoma County this summer.

A couple of smaller great whites - estimated to be six to eight feet long - visited Capitola Wharf in Santa Cruz for two days in July. Another shark was seen at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica.

That shark, also estimated to be about 18 feet long, was seen about 150 to 200 yards away from the shore of that section of Pacifica State Beach on Aug. 30. It was also eating a sea lion, according to witness reports and Pacifica police Capt. Fernando Realyvasquez.

Monterey Bay Aquarium spokeswoman Karen Jeffries said that because the sharks were seen eating sea lions it is safe to assume they are adult great whites that are at least eight years old.

Sharks don't add sea lions to their diet until they reach sexual maturity, she said.