GREAT WHITE TOSSES KAYAKER, CHEWS ON BOAT...

Sharks attack kayaker, paddleboarder along Santa Barbara coast

Two shark attacks were reported along the southern Santa Barbara County coastline Thursday, with a kayaker and paddleboarder escaping injury when sharks took bites out of their respective water crafts.

Los Angeles resident Bret Jackson told Noozhawk he was paddling approximately 350 feet east of Stearns Wharf when a great white shark approached his kayak.

The 40-year-old felt something nudge his kayak before he was thrown into the ocean, as the shark chomped down and left a 15-inch-wide bite mark on the kayak.

“It came out of nowhere, and the first thing I saw was a giant jaw near my face,” said Jackson, who is visiting family in Santa Barbara. “It was fast, and the shark was hungry.”

Jackson estimates the entire incident lasted two to five seconds.

“It bit on to the kayak next to my arm and side, dove me on the kayak sideways a few feet then flipped (me) over,” Jackson said.

kayak
Los Angeles man Bret Jackson was uninjured after a shark attacked his kayak while he was paddling near Stearns Wharf on Thursday, July 20, 2017.
Bret Jackson
“I was underwater upside down in the kayak, then hopped onto the bottom of the kayak.”

Harbor patrol received a call about 11:20 a.m. about someone in the water yelling for help, Harbor Patrol Supervisor Steve McCullough said.

Emergency personnel discovered that after the initial attack, Jackson swam to a nearby boat for safety.

“I started swimming toward a sail boat and the kayak felt like it was sinking,” Jackson said.

Jackson wanted to warn people there are “big, hungry, aggressive sharks in the water right now.”

No injuries were reported, McCullough said.

Signs have been posted warning beachgoers about the shark attack, and the postings at East Beach, West Beach, Leadbetter Beach and Shoreline Park will stay up until Saturday morning, he said.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/state/california/article159752614.html