Great white off of Ship Rock, Catalina Island

[UniGirl17]

Has anyone seen the great white off of Ship Rock? Saw it 3 years ago from a distance at a depth of about 70 feet. I recently saw an article in CA diving magazine that one was spotted off of Ship Rock in May 2009.

Been out to Catalina frontside twice this month near ship rock on two different boats and neither one of them stopped there, which they normally do.

 

[Mo2vation]

Has anyone seen the great white off of Ship Rock? Saw it 3 years ago from a distance at a depth of about 70 feet. I recently saw an article in CA diving magazine that one was spotted off of Ship Rock in May 2009.

Been out to Catalina frontside twice this month near ship rock on two different boats and neither one of them stopped there, which they normally do.

Ship rock is a notoriously precarious spot to anchor. Its also not a place for noobies to dive when the current is rocking.

If a dive boat didn't anchor there its not because the landlord is in town. Its because the boat was loaded with new divers, or the current and/or surge made it unsafe to anchor there.


---
Ken

 

[UniGirl17]

Ship rock is a notoriously precarious spot to anchor. Its also not a place for noobies to dive when the current is rocking.

If a dive boat didn't anchor there its not because the landlord is in town. Its because the boat was loaded with new divers, or the current and/or surge made it unsafe to anchor there.


---
Ken

That were my thoughts as well... figured diving cert's. Just curious about the landlord! Is he still there after 3 years...

 

[drbill]

THE landlord? Heck, three were sighted at one time near there about two years ago. They are sighted elsewhere around the island (a 14 footer swam right by dive buddy Wyland and I near the East End Quarry two summers ago). The important thing is not that they are seen here, but that they don't seem to pose any problem to divers.

 

[kelpmermaid]

I compare this to bear or wild cat sightings. They are out there in the wilderness, but we don't often see them. Of course, they may have seen us...

 

[UniGirl17]

I compare this to bear or wild cat sightings. They are out there in the wilderness, but we don't often see them. Of course, they may have seen us...

Of course they see US. That is the beauty/terrifying reality of it. Camping/hilking in
CA and CO with the pumas is a perfect example... We are the prey, if wanted or warrented!

 

[drbill]

UniGirl17, I don't think the great whites view us as prey. If they did, they'd be all over us since our bubbles are a dead give away to our presence. Attacks usually occur in murky water or when a person is at the surface where it is easy to confuse them with their preferred food. Even the attacks where a human is bitten usually do not result in death. If they considered us prey, there would be more second bites after the first test.

 

[fppf]

Maybe the sharks watch there weight, I mean humans are full of fat and preservatives. Not something you want to snack on if you watch what you eat.

 

[muddiver]

Large pleagic sharks do not hang out in the same area. They migrate many miles from food source to food source. I doubt the shark you saw is the same one seen the following year. It probalby was crusing off Point Lobos or Vancouver by the next year after you saw it.

 

[drbill]

We are just beginning to learn about the migratory habits of the great white. While they are pelagic, and may wander thousands of miles, they do seem to return to certain areas perhaps on a seasonal basis. We have seal and sea lion populations off Catalina, providing a generally year-round supply of munchables. Of course they may want to mate at some point and we're not sure where they do that... they appear to be discrete.