Hammerhead on kayaker's tail.... LJ
 

Out yesterday (Wed) with a friend on a powerboat. We were trying for Wahoo, but ended up at La Jolla.

Anyway, a pretty far distance out for a kayaker we see one solo guy. We are trying the bottom with irons and this guy comes closer and closer, and finally we can see he is urgently trying to reach us.

Right on his tail, literally bumping him is a 9-10' hammerhead. We got just a little on phone video, but he will likely post a much more detailed video from the go-pro.

He was very happy to get on our boat!

Video here, which shows the shark at about 16 seconds to 22 seconds. The shark does not look that big here, but it was close to 10 feet long, and persistently bumping his boat. No fun! :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv-l...ature=youtu.be

We loaded the kayak on the boat and gave him a ride to the buoy line. He had some nice lings and maybe the smell attracted the hammy.

Anyway, good advice is to have a portable VHF radio, and ideally be in pairs. He was very happy to have the boat ride!

THANK you guys! I'm editing the video as we speak. Life changing day for sure. ALWAYS going to take my radio out!

Havent' we been through this already guys?!


Enough with the hammerhead stuff!!!


You really don't need to get yourselves on the news about this OK...!

Enough with wasting your time reading posts on Hammerheads. I could of blown this up on the news already, since my pops and half the family instantly hit up the news, but i didn't. I'm a member of this community and value what this type of fishing does for me. OK.....!

KICK ROCKS

Thanks for your report. I'm looking forward to your video. I'm glad seaquinn and his friend were there to assist.

We should not underestimate the importance of safety and common sense.

Downplaying or white-washing the importance of your experience and lessons learned would be as much of a disservice to our community as those who over-hype it with fear mongering.

Hammerhead on kayaker's tail.... LJ
 

I'm glad they were there to assist. I was pedaling for 45min before I reached them. No one could see or hear me.

Btw, my recently caught LING'S did not provoke the chase. The hammerhead was feeding and exploding bait on the surface. I just so happened to be 25 yards away and decided to book it. (All of gopro) Thats when dude decides to take my Mac. He was aggressive and was not leaving me alone. Even after he broke me off. I guess I really pissed him off cause we were both in a honey hole!!

I'll post an actual report once I get this edited to the way I want it!

NC


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9 of the last 11 times out i was bumped by HH. Alone its not fun. With others less intense. Just another day on the water for us this year. Glad you didn't go to the media with it...not a good way to help our community out.

Hi Nick! I look forward to your video. Mine does not show much, but it does show the shark. In real life, it looked much larger. (I'm sure from the kayak, with nobody else around, it looked really BIG!

This info is only for our site, but everyone just needs to be aware they are out there, not usually dangerous, hopefully, but especially any newbies just gotta be aware and prepared.

I'm gonna start bringing my floating radio from now on as well. Even if I don't need it, one day there may be a sinking canoe (like Chris helped with) or who knows what.... just want to be safe.

Cheers all..... what a year!

While we are on the subject of safety and lessons learned, what would be the benefit of a VHF radio on a kayak if nobody can see or hear you? Do the VHF radios kayak fishermen tend to use broadcast GPS coordinates?

I have thought about buying one, but I am unsure of the benefits or which model to choose.

I do carry my iPhone. I use the iPhone GPS features for the Navionics chart plotting app as well as the regular iPhone map functions. Are there other good apps for pinpointing GPS coordinates?

-----

What else is good for a safety checklist?

I carry a bilge pump and a tow rope. I always have a knife handy. I have a roll of radiator repair tape that is strong like duct tape but sticks to itself on wet surfaces. I have a cloth wrap bandage in a packet in case someone gets gaffed or ripped by a fish hook. It can be used as a tourniquet or other multi-purpose applications.

I discovered a few weeks ago that I should carry a Phillips screwdriver in case the rudder strings come off or need adjusting. Three of us were fishing together. I couldn't fix the loose rudder with a knife tip or what else I had on board. We ended up holding both kayaks together and I steered for the both of us. From far out, trying to paddle an Outback on rough water with the rudder up is a huge pain in the butt. Peddling in together and steering from one boat was the better choice. A screwdriver and fishing buddies could have solved the problem out where we were fishing. The one I added to my safety kit is drilled with a nylon wrist strap so I don't lose it in the water.

Just trying to think ahead a little so we can be better prepared in the future.

Your phone will cut out and not work 5-7 miles out. The radio will grab coast guard and other boats in area. I take both with me at all times. If just fishing LJ radio stays in dry bag. If offshore phone goes in dry bag.

Yeah Tony kick rocks

Team Sewer dont kick rocks. They smoke them :D

Really:(

I think adding a little 38 special to the tackle box would solve a lot of problems. Haha


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Well said!

Is that legal?

Just curious.

Ive found it to be between 10 and 12 miles myself. All the way to Avalon from Dana Point --half hitting mainland half hitting Avalon. Not 4G but signal.

I have VZW and don't get a strong enough signal to place a call out of LJ 5-7 miles. I know Dana and San Diego have more cell site then LJ. Installing them is what I do for a living.

A-ha! There had to be a downside to La Jolla.

I say f these HHs and whites. You need to figure out a way to protect yourself and a VHF radio may not cut it when you're 3 miles from the nearest person. I had one of these Aholes following me for about an hour and all the while circling my yak and banging the back of it. There's only one way there going to learn. And f PETA too.

6 encounters hooking three in one day I changed my light pole to a spear pole...a little jab a do ya....

If you can't run from it, then give it the runs.

A handgun is overkill. Just prepare a few bricks of dried chum supplemented with laxative. When you get a pesky hammerhead that refuses to go away and ready to ruin your day, tie a brick to a floater and toss it overboard. Then pedal or paddle away.

This hammerhead shark thing all started after I had my $70 shark dive knife knocked off my leg in surf at la jolla launch. I had one shark come be side me and turned his head sideways and we looked each other in the eye and then it bolted straight under my kayak down into the obis reminded me of the whale in the movie castaways....

First blood.... the beach was closed after this incounter ....

It is not a good idea to go carrying a gun around in your kayak, in your vest or where ever you may want to carry it... not only the legal issues that you will run into, but the last thing anyone wants to see happen is somebody that has little experience with carrying a gun and negligently firing it.

I don't think I have to worry about that the last girlfriend help me loose all my guns

I love hammerheads, and sharks in general (go figure). That said, i do carry 12g flares on my yak (along with my floating VHF radio)... I wouldn't do anything unless the fish was actually chewing on my boat, but I bet a flare in the gills would chill out just about anything out there.

And think of the poor weapons. I go through 6-10 pairs of needlenose a year. I couldnt afford a new gun every couple months. Stripping and cleaning reels is enough work.

AHAH! You have me rollin.... Seriously, I'm thinking more of a harpoon/spear to get em away.

Good point. It was a signal flare and the big fish got in the way.

Instead of laxatives
How bout like a medicated cookie
Mellow the sharks out
Even if they got the munchies
Theyd just forget about it anyway

you need a CCW to carry a handgun concealed, and there is no open carry in CA. As low as we are to the water you always run the risk of a bullet ricochet off the water and maybe hitting a fellow kayaker instead. Of course if you did the other guy bleeding would pull the shark away from you so that is a positive. Plus salt water is hell on guns, even if you don't drop them in the drink. If he is close enough to shoot then bash him with your priest, give him a killer headache

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I saw my first hammerhead over a year ago and was super excited by the experience and even posted a cell phone photo. I get a kick out of seeing crazy sh*t and just add it to my many experiences.

It is understandable to post your "first" wild experience with the shark.

It is also understandable to not want these sightings in the media because of fear of closing the Jewel's Beach Launch, which is my favorite place on earth.

I just wanted to give a big shout to my good friend seaquinn who was on the rescue boat. You helped a soul who sounded like he really need help.

Awesome job buddy.