Oceans have an air of intrigue and mystery. Many people long for the chance to discover what lies beneath the sometimes calm, sometimes tumultuous surface. But there is also a slight fear of the unknown. What creatures lurk beneath the surface? The 1975 release of Jaws magnified that fear. The movie brought the potential dangers of the ocean to life.
However, it also singlehandedly created enormous public fascination and scientific interest in sharks, particularly great white sharks. Now, the predators of the deep hold a serious hold on the American psyche. So much so that one would assume shark incidents are a regular occurrence. And while they do happen, they are not as common as one may think, even in a place like California, a state with the third longest coastline at 840 miles in the United States. Given that, it is reasonable to wonder how many shark incidents in California occur each year.
The California coast has tons of sandy beaches, inlets, and bays, and these places are popular destinations for swimming, diving, surfing, scuba diving, boating, and snorkeling. In fact, nearly 70 percent of California’s population—about 26.8 million people—live in coastal counties. In 2022, more than 259 million people visited the state. That same year, California reported single-digit shark incidents.
A shark incident is defined as “any documented case where a shark approached and touched a person in the water, or touched a person’s surfboard, kayak, paddleboard, etc. This summary does not include shark sightings where no contact occurred, instances where sharks approached boats, or cases where hooked sharks caused injury or damage.”
The California coast extends for more than 800 miles, making it the third longest coastline in the United States.
©iStock.com/pikappa
How Many Shark Attacks Happened in California in 2022?
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there were eight documented shark incidents in 2022.
The first occurred on February 26. An anonymous diver got bitten by a shark while in the water near San Miguel Island off the coast of Santa Barbara. She was diving with 13 others. Most of the divers were scallop and lobster hunting. The diver got pulled away from the boat, and a great white shark attacked while she was working her way back to her ride. The shark was an estimated 14 or 15 feet in length. The United States Coast Guard airlifted her to a hospital for evaluation.
Then, on June 22, a swimmer, Stephen Bruemmer, was attacked by a possible great white shark. Bruemmer was swimming at Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove, about 150 yards from the shore. Others on the beach heard him screaming and rushed to his rescue. He was taken to the hospital with severe injuries to his torso, arm, and leg.
At that same location (Lovers Point Park) on August 10, a man on a paddleboard with his dog identified a great white shark swimming toward them. They were knocked off when the shark bit the board. Both the man and dog were able to get back on the board and paddle to shore without injury.
The fourth incident of the year happened on September 28 when it was reported that a 12- to 16-foot great white shark was swimming under and circling kayakers near Laguna Point at Mackerricher State Park in Mendocino County. No injuries were reported.
And on October 2, a 31-year-old surfer named Jared Trainor was in the water off Centerville Beach. While sitting on his surfboard, waiting for a wave, he found himself four feet underwater. Before he knew it, an unknown assailant had a grip on his leg and the surfboard. He punched it and kicked it with his free leg. Based on the damage to his surfboard and the 19-inch injury to his thigh, the suspected attacker was a great white shark.
A sixth shark incident occurred on October 22 near Cayucos Pier in San Luis Obispo County. The surfer received a minor injury, and the shark species was not identified.
Jim Affinito was bumped off his board while surfing off Otter Point in Pacific Grove, Monterey County, on October 31. He was able to swim to shore uninjured but shaken. The shark was reported to be a great white.
Then on November 4, Lyn Jutronich was bit on her right thigh by a juvenile great white shark while swimming about 200 yards off the coast of Del Mar in San Diego H. She and a friend had stopped to rest when she felt something grab and shake her before being let go. She was able to get to shore where she received treatment and then was transported to a local hospital.
Great white sharks were responsible for all shark attacks on humans in 2022.
©Alessandro De Maddalena/Shutterstock.com
What Kinds of Sharks Live Off the Coast of California?
While the great white shark gets the most notoriety, they are not the only predators lurking in California waters. One of those frequents the reefs and kelp of La Jolla Cove. It is the sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus).
Another is the school shark (Galeorhinus galeus). But this species spooks easily from the movement of divers. The horn shark (Heterodontus francisci) also doesn’t bother divers since it prefers to lounge on the ocean floor.
The Pacific angel shark (Squatina californica) is a predator that frequents coastal and sandy areas. But the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) likes deeper waters.
Other open ocean sharks divers may encounter off the coast of California include the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), blue shark (Prionace glauca), and shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus).
But swimmers and snorkelers will likely run into a different collection of sharks, including the leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata), swell shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum), and gray smooth-hound shark (Mustelus californicus).
However, these are only a handful of the many shark species frequenting the waters of the coast of California.
