Great White Shark Attack Paddle vs Pedal Numbers

[PAL]

After the recent great white strike on two Hobies, a lot of people blamed the pedal drive. I wanted to see for myself how the numbers stack up. I've kept pretty good records of all the white shark on kayak strikes in California since the first attack on an angler in 2007. It was time for an update anyway.

Give it a look. Since 2007, the score stands at 7 paddlers vs. 5 pedalers. If we limit it to kayak anglers only, it's 5 pedalers and 4 paddlers. That leads me to believe it doesn't matter what you drive if you come across an aggressive shark at the wrong time. In case you're interested, there have been 17 great white attacks on kayaks since 1989, far fewer than on surfers and swimmers. Of those 17 incidents, two fatalities are more or less documented. Otherwise injuries are incredibly rare.

Since I posted these numbers in a story for Kayak Fish Magazine, many people have rightly pointed out that it would be instructive to compare the raw attack numbers vs. the proportion of each kayak type.

Until kayak manufacturers and dealers release that closely guarded information, we're at the mercy of on the water observation. Of course the proportion varies across the state.

Completely subjectively, on a typical day Hobies outnumber paddle kayaks by at least 3 to 1 at La Jolla. In a Facebook post Jason Self put the number about the same up in Trinidad, 3 Hobies for every one paddle kayak, but he was talking about anglers (I think).

Scroll down for that great white shark attack on kayaks in California listing I compiled. I attached it so you can all download it if you like. I invite you guys to take the data apart, all of it, not just the paddle vs. pedal question. Any statisticians here?

I'm also looking to fill in a couple blanks on the spreadsheet and for additional information such as water clarity, whether anglers had fish on board (personally I don't think it matters), if they were using sonar at the time, etc.

Here's the most pertinent part of my story for Kayak Fish Magazine:

Check out the chart beginning with the tragic case of Tamara McAllister and Roy J. Stoddard, who were presumably killed by a great white strike off of Malibu’s Paradise Cove in 1989. We could tally paddle versus pedal statistics from there (it’s 12 paddle, 5 pedal if you must know), but it wouldn’t make any sense. Hobie’s Mirage Drive wasn’t introduced until 1997. Another decade passed before a great white shark hit one of the company’s kayaks. Let’s start there.

Back to Dan Prather, whose red Adventure was the first Hobie attacked. The next two kayakers to feel the heat (both in 2008) were paddlers, recreationalist Bettina Pereira at Catalina and sea kayaker Tony Johnson off Tomales Head.

2009 was a quiet year, but August 2010 was tough. Adam Coca was hit hard at Bean Hollow, and a great white mouthed the bow of Duane Strosaker’s sea kayak offshore of Gaviota (yes, his legs were inside the shark’s mouth, inside his boat), a couple of particularly harrowing incidents. Both paddlers. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s one pedal kayak and four paddle kayaks since 2007.

From there, it’s neck and neck between the two propulsion types. Harry Pali was pedaling off Pigeon Point when his kayak was hit in 2011. Joey Nocchi was paddling off Leffingwell Landing the next year. Mel Camu was pedaling; Micah Flansburg and an as yet unidentified man related to a kayak angler known only by the handle FlyYaker both paddled. That takes us up to the Vandenberg duo, who both pedaled.

If you kept up, you already know the score since 2007 stands at 7 paddle, 5 pedal – all of the flipper variety. Prop-style pedal drives are relatively rare on western saltwater. None have been hit by a great white. Counting anglers only, the numbers swing to 5 pedal, 4 paddle. Inconclusive? From here it looks like what you drive isn’t the determining factor.

Here's the link to the entire story: http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features...r-great-white/