Shark Attack

[PAL]

“I got hit from underneath and started coming up out of the water. My buddies said I came out of the water 4 to 5 feet — it flipped me over the side. The shark rolled the whole kayak over, rolled me out of it, and he went over the top of it. He swam across me — his tail touched me.” His friends estimated the shark was 12 feet to 14 feet long.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/05...#storylink=cpy

That's a tough day by anyone's metric. The water is cold up there too - it was hovering around 50 when I fished with Joey and other members of CCKF about a week earlier.

Every shark struck kayak photo I've seen fails to convey the extent of the damage. You might have to squint, but the bite arch is visible on the photo. There are probably plenty of pinholes in addition to the vampire punch, and there may be pressure cracks.

This is the 4th shark on fishing kayak strike in Central California in roughly six and a half years. The other three were much farther north at Bean Hollow. This one is different because it was a bump and run. The other sharks stuck around to chew on the boat for a few seconds. It was also much earlier in the year.

The most important point? No injuries. Compared to a surfboard, a kayak is a life saver.