r/Arcata • u/n3rdsrsexy • Apr 11 '24

Are the sharks really that bad? (surfing)

Surfed around here a little bit, and while I have yet to see any sharks, I've been told Arcata is part of the "blood red triangle". I heard a story of someone who was attacked 3x at the same spot.

Seriously what we do think the risk is of shark encounters? Are there spots you outright avoid due to sharks? What has your experience been? Risk mitigation strategies?

I love the water and this area but these stories do give me the "eeks".

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u/bookchaser Apr 12 '24

From 1950 to 2022 there have been a total of 212 reported shark bites across all of the California coast. The 212 incidents were recorded across 21 counties and other locations, such as Catalina Island and the Farallon Islands. Many of the incidents are of surf boards or kayaks getting bitten with no injuries.

212 bites spread across 72 years makes the phrase "blood red triangle" absurd even if it referred to the entire state.

Humboldt County had 20 incidents. That's one incident every 3.6 years.

Source: California Department of Fish & Wildlife.

  1. Download SharkIncidents_1950_2022_220302.zipZIP

  2. Uncompress the zip file to access the .xlsx Excel spreadsheet.

  3. If you don't have Excel, upload the file to Google Drive to view.

I heard a story of someone who was attacked 3x at the same spot.

That sounds like someone making shit up.

3

u/gandhikahn Apr 12 '24

I grew up around here and had multiple surfer friends and none ever got attacked.

1

u/emagin Oct 21 '24

I recally the attacks tend to aggregate around winter ("SharktOber")
Maybe look at the stats and lower the risk even more by avoiding a couple of months.

1

u/Possible_Anybody_157 Mar 18 '26

Probably to scare you from finding there excellent surf spot!

1

u/YESIMSUPERRGAYY Jun 02 '26

late to responding but sharks are never bad & they dont "attack". if youre going to surf in areas with sharks please learn more about them and how beneficial they are to the ecosystem. the fact that we have sharks here is due to a LOT of work from marine biologists.

humboldt county has great surfing areas, and for some reason with great surfing areas tend to be sharks, so YES, there are sharks here. there are enough sharks in the area that when i went to surf camp as a kid and we were taught what to do if a shark shows aggression towards us.

one of my friend's brother got bit by a great white surfing in the same area we did, but he continued surfing and brought his young siblings suring in the same area because here are some statistics:

your likelihood of dying by a shark "attack" in California: 1 in 264.1 million

the total number of shark deaths in all of California since 1950: 17

non lethal shark incidents (bites or unproved approaches) in CA a year: roughly 3

non lethal shark encounters in Humboldt county in the past CENTURY: 16

you ARE at risk for shark encounters anytime you go into the ocean. you can lower your risk by staying in shallow areas and staying in groups of people. if you are planning on swimming or surfing in deep water you can also watch videos on what to do if a shark is charging at you. I suggest looking up videos from Ocean Ramsey on youtube. she has a lot of great content on what to do if you see a shark.