Santa Barbara Shark Attack: Shark Kills Swimmer, Closes California Beaches

[dmrides]

I have heard of several attacks on body boarders while surfers are in the water. I have always guessed that the swim fins and body board looks more like a seal than a surfer. Might not be the case, but certainly a possibility.

[ronbo613]

Like most surfers, I've heard the red/yellow shark attraction theory. Didn't pay much attention to it until I surfed reef shark infested waters on my red and yellow surfboard. The locals told me the small(6-10') sharks won't bother you as long as there are fish around smaller than you. When you don't see any fish, including the "small" sharks, mostly near deep water dropoffs, you should start to worry.
Most logical explanation I've heard is that most sharks, especially Great Whites, hunt from the "bottom up"; they cruise along the bottom looking up for prey, which is silhouetted against the sky. With that kind of lighting; everything is black, colors don't matter that much. If you've ever seen a surfer or bodyboarder with arms and legs dangling off the board, that silhouette is just about the same as a large seal, the shark's preferred prey.
It's just the chance you take when you jump in the ocean, easy to talk about, not so cool when somebody gets attacked.