Earlier this week, Coronado’s Alisa Kerr was enjoying the view from her Coronado Shore’s condo, when she spotted a shark swimming near a surfer. She snapped a few photos and shared them with The Coronado Times.
The surfer in the photo is Matt Erickson, who wasn’t bothered at all with his unplanned “surf buddy.” Matt commented, “I kicked out from a wave on the inside and as I was paddling back out, I saw it swim slowly right under me. I noticed it probably about the same time it noticed me. I pulled my chest up to get a better look at its size and its tail swished right under me, I could feel the water backspin under my board. We decided to surf a bit longer. Figure if it wanted to have a go at me it would have already. This wasn’t my first shark encounter while surfing but this was my first white shark encounter. It was actually a lot less scary than some of the Tigers and Bulls in American Samoa.”
Alisa shared, “I’ve never seen a shark from my balcony before and now all of a sudden I’ve seen several over the last week. The tide has been so high and the water so clear, it makes it easy to spot them. It’s an interesting thing to see!”
Last December, Coronado beaches were closed for two days when a swimmer’s fin was bitten by a shark. There has not been a shark incident since December 2020.
The City of Coronado is partnering with CSU Long Beach’s shark lab to learn more about the local shark population. This comes after an increase in the number of shark sightings this past summer.
Related:
City of Coronado Partners with CSU Long Beach’s Shark Lab to Tag Sharks
