A California beachgoer captured the moment an enormous great white shark burst out of the Pacific Ocean while she was taking a photograph at Marina State Beach near Monterey Bay on October 17.
Erin King was enjoying the October sunshine when the unexpected sighting interrupted a photo session with a group of young girls she had met on the beach.
Footage shared on social media showed her staring towards the water with her mouth open and repeatedly pointing at the shark.
King said she had initially been approached by the girls, who asked her to help take a photograph.
They subsequently offered to take a similar picture of her with the ocean in the background.
Beachgoer Describes Unexpected Encounter
Speaking to KSBW, King explained that spending time by the ocean was a familiar part of her life.
“I’m an ocean girl and a beach girl. Grew up born and raised here. So, the beach is my home, and it just felt like a great day to come out and take advantage of some October sunshine,” she said.
King said the shark’s appearance happened so quickly that she had little time to process what she was witnessing.
“It happened so fast. I mean, it was just an instant. So, it just so happened that we got to see that, and I don’t think anybody else really did,” she told the broadcaster.
State Park Cameras Record Shark Breach
California State Parks officials also recorded a shark breaching the water through their Surfline cameras at approximately 12.20pm.
Chief Ranger Mike Dippel said the location where King was standing and the timestamp on her video closely matched the information recorded by the beach cameras.
“Given where she was standing, and the timestamp on her video, which matched up perfectly with the timestamp on the surf line video, it’s very likely to be the same shark,” Dippel told KSBW.
He added that October and the wider autumn period are common times for great white sharks to return to the Central Coast as part of their migration patterns.
“It is that time of the year. October, the fall months tend to be when white sharks do come back and migrate to the Central Coast,” he said.
California Reports Increase in Shark Sightings
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has reported an increase in shark sightings across the state since June.
Days before King’s footage circulated on social media, a foil board surfer spotted an “aggressive” great white shark off Huntington Beach in Southern California. Authorities subsequently closed the waters on October 13 as a safety precaution.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife said warmer ocean conditions could influence where juvenile white sharks remain during the later months of the year.
“Forecasted warmer waters shift the preferred range for juvenile white sharks northward from Mexico and lead them to stay in California nearshore areas later in the year,” the department said in a news release.
Experts have also anticipated a greater presence of white sharks in Southern California because of warmer El Niño ocean conditions, a climate pattern associated with elevated sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific.
Experts Explain Juvenile White Sharks’ Preferred Temperatures
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, told the Los Angeles Times that juvenile white sharks favour ocean temperatures between 67 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lowe also noted that sharks frequently share ocean waters with people, even when beachgoers do not see them.
“Sharks are around people all the time,” he told the newspaper.
Shark Advisory Issued for Marina State Beach
California State Parks officials have issued a shark advisory for Marina State Beach that will remain in effect for the rest of the week.
Authorities have urged beachgoers to remain alert and exercise caution when swimming, surfing or participating in other water activities along the Central Coast.
“Just make sure you’re aware of that and using caution when surfing or swimming, recreating in the water around the Central Coast this time of year,” Dippel told KSBW.
