Orcas and Great Whites and Jellyfish Oh My!

Seems like the ocean has been alive off our coast lately. And not in a good way. There's been all kinds of aggressive/painful/deadly/whatever you want to call them critters off the San Diego coast the past few weeks. If you thought the Arizona tourists in the water was the main problem during your surf session, check this out:

Dateline: Monday, July 2nd: Great White report from 10 News San Diego:

A shark, believed to be a great white, was spotted Monday about 50 yards off the coast at La Jolla Shores, prompting lifeguards to close the ocean to swimmers and surfers. A female lifeguard spotted the 12- to 15-foot-long shark about 3:15 p.m., headed south just outside the surf line about 50 yards from the main lifeguard tower at La Jolla Shores, according to city lifeguard Lt. Greg Buchanan. "She came right out of the water and right up to me and while it was all fresh in her mind," said lifeguard Sgt. Mike Cranston. "She was very distraught, as anybody would be, having a very close encounter with a shark of that size." Eight other people spotted the shark, authorities told 10News. The lifeguard who nearly brushed up against the shark was on a paddleboard just outside the wave line. "She was able to tell me while it was fresh exactly what it was she saw [and] described it in detail," said Cranston. "The detail was sufficient enough for us to realize it was a credible sighting and to go ahead and take the steps in order to protect the public." Waters from the Marine Room to Scripps Pier out to the half-mile buoy were closed following the encounter, and lifeguards were warning people in surrounding areas about the sighting, Buchanan said. "For folks like us in the shark world, this is great news," said Patrick Douglas, a great white shark expert. "You know – for your everyday swimmer – a bit disconcerting, I would imagine." Douglas said he was surprised by the sighting. He said a 15-foot great white shark that close to shore is very unusual, since the species took a huge hit before gill netting great white sharks was banned off the California coast. "It means they're coming back from decades and decades of overfishing pressure in California," said Douglas. "It's taken this long to see these great big magnificent white sharks come back into close shore." Lifeguards searched for the shark from the shore and with the assistance of boats and a helicopter. 10News learned the beach was closed for the rest of the night and reopened early Tuesday. Greg Lloyd was one of the first surfers to go back in the water Tuesday morning and wasn't too concerned with the sighting. "I've seen them here, I've seen them up at San Onofre," Lloyd said. "My belief is your days are numbered and when it's your time to go, it's your time to go. The water is here, so you can live your life in fear, or you can go out and enjoy life." "They're not man-eaters," Lloyd added. "Most of the time if they take a bite it's because it was a mistake." Tom Morrell went in just minutes after Lloyd. "That's a credible sighting," Morrell said. "There are supposed to be Great Whites up and down the coast all the time, and they don't bother us." "That's the fountain of youth out there," Morrell said just before running in the water with his board. 10News caught up with Lloyd on his way out of the water, and he said he did not see the shark. He said he had actually hoped the sighting would keep more people out of the water.

 

Dateline: Sunday, July 15th: Jellyfish report from the San Diego Union Tribune:

San Diego County area lifeguards reported a surge in the number of beachgoers stung by jellyfish on Sunday. One-hundred thirty people were stung at six beaches in Leucadia and Encinitas, Encinitas lifeguards said, while state lifeguards reported that 30 people were stung at Torrey Pines State Beach.  Jellyfish follow plankton, their main source of food, as they move closer to shore during the summer, said Fernando Nosratpour of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As they get closer to beaches, strong currents from along the coast push the fragile jellyfish to shore and break them up into little pieces.  The most common types of jellyfish found around San Diego are the moon and the purple-striped jellyfish, Nosratpour said.  The moon jellyfish is about 10 inches long and has short tentacles, while the purple-striped jellyfish is about 12 inches long and has long, thick tentacles, he said. Even after breaking up and dying, the purple-striped jellyfish’s tentacles can sting people, Nosratpour said. The moon jellyfish’s sting cells do not work after the jellyfish dies.  Jellyfish generally do not attack people. People usually get stung when they rub up against them in the water or touch them once they’ve washed up on the beach. A small rash will appear where the sting occurred.  Lifeguards recommend that people keep on eye out for jellyfish pieces in the water and sand. Sting rashes can be treated with diluted vinegar and usually disappear in an hour, although some people may have stronger reactions. Fresh water and sand can aggravate the rash. No one was hospitalized.

 

 

Dateline: Tuesday, July 24th: Orca report from NBC 7/39:

  

Seen a killer whale lately? If so, you’re not the only one. San Diego boaters have seen a few orcas off the San Diego coast in the last couple weeks. In one video, the killer whale circles the boat and swam nearby as fisherman Richard Ellison drove away. The reason these giant mammals have been sited near San Diego is because they migrate off the coast every year, according to SeaWorld. “They just aren’t seen very often,” said spokesperson Alexandra Kuty in an email. Additional seals in the area also bring the black and white whales nearby. “There has been an increase in pinnipeds in the area and that’s their favorite food source,” Kenny Manzoni of Adventure Rib Rides said to NBC 7 San Diego last week. Since then, his business has seen a little uptick in passengers hoping to see orcas. They can’t guarantee that passengers will see a whale, but recently the customers have regularly seen the large mammals in their natural habitat. Passengers encountered an orca again this morning, Manzoni said. San Diego Whale Watch also saw a killer whale 8 miles off the coast of Mission Bay. In addition, tours have seen both blue and fin whales, which will swim in San Diego waters until October. “The blue whales have just been getting better and better every year,” Manzoni said. He said his crew has nicknamed the orca “Bubbles” because it forces air through its blowhole whenever people are nearby. He speculated that the reason the killer whales in the area have been so visible this time around is because they’re curious. The juvenile whale has also been seen swimming alongside other creatures. “This one seems to be especially friendly to boats, and dolphins,” Manzoni said. But people still need to proceed with caution if they see an orca in the ocean. “They’re right at the top of the food chain,” Manzoni said. “They don’t call them killer whales for nothing.” “As per the Marine Mammal Protection Act, we must keep out distance from all marine life in the wild,” stated Kuty. “People should never approach them in the wild.”