- SOUTH BEACH, Oregon - On
September 5, 2004, Charlie Plybon, Aquarium Educator, Oregon Coast
Aquarium,
was surfing with a friend about 100 yards from the beach and just north
of South Beach State Park (near blue pole). It was 9:30 AM and the sky
was clear. There were 4 - 5 foot swells and the water was 10 - 15 feet
deep with the temperature 52 - 55° F. They had been in the water about
15 minutes prior to the shark encounter. Plybon and his companion observed
"two small harbor porpoises" as they paddled out through the
surf.
-
- Plybon recalled... "My friend and I had just paddled
out and were lining up on an incoming set of waves. My friend was about
10 yards away from me and we waited...eventually letting the waves pass
us by. I turned and started to paddle south down the beach and heard
something
break the water behind me. Alarmed, I turned and saw a fin break the
surface
of the water in a quick turn and disappear, maybe a hundred yards from
our location.
-
- I was sitting on my board, legs dangling when I saw the
fin again. This time it was close, maybe 20 yards away. The fin rose to
2 - 3 feet out of the water. The upper lobe of the caudal fin followed
at least 4 - 6 feet behind the dorsal fin. I then realized it was a shark.
With its dorsal and caudal fin somewhat exposed it was moving quick enough
to create a small wake coming straight at me. I was frozen, sitting on
my board fully focused on the shark.
-
- It slowed down and submerged about 10 yards from me.
Its shadow seemed nearly as wide as a small car. It moved under my board
and turned up looking at me. As it pitched its bodied in the turn, a
pectoral
fin rose out of the water nearly hitting my board. On the other side of
my board I looked down and clearly saw its scarred snout, giant eye and
flared gills. As the shark rose towards my board, it abruptly turned its
head away, splashing its tail fin in one fluid movement. In this one motion
it had turned and began smoothly swimming away.
-
- That's when the adrenaline kicked in. My entire body
went numb and I began to shake. I paddled a terrifying 100 yards to a group
of people and caught the first wave in. My friend and I were both rather
shaky, but the others stayed in the water not really believing what had
happened."
-
- Plybon described the shark as; "being longer than
his board and very wide and deep bodied. It had numerous scars on its nose
and a deep black eye about the size of my fist with dramatic counter
shading
from grayish blue to white. The dorsal fin appeared to rise 2 feet above
the water." White sharks are known to frequent the Oregon coastal
areas near river mouths and bays. Caution should be exercised when
utilizing
these areas for your ocean water activities.
-
- Please report any shark sightings or encounters to the
Shark Research Committee.
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