Beach Safety! When discussing California Beach Safety, nobody wants to think about sharks. The monstrous, stealthy creatures of the sea that make mincemeat out of sweet little 1,000 pound seals and sea lions are a fact of life. They rarely attack and kill humans, but when they do, all eyes are on the sea and the thought that you or I could be next. By the numbers, your chances of being in an airplane wreck are much greater. But the publicity surrounding the rare instances of human attack by sharks is so great that we can't escape remembrances of the movie, "Jaws".

In a study of tagged great white sharks, transmitters reveal that the sea creatures pass under the Golden Gate bridge and come into the San Francisco Bay. Five out of 78 sharks with acoustic transmitters have sent out signals in the San Francisco Bay during several years of tracking from 2006 to 2008, according to a finding reported in a scientific journal. Stories abound about surfers encountering sharks--Bethany Hamilton, a 20-year old American surfer was attacked by a 14 ft tiger shark at Tunnels Beach, Kauai around 7:30 in the morning. The shark ripped off her left arm just below the shoulder and she survived. She now acts as a champion In California a triathlon swimmer was killed in Solana Beach at Fletcher Cove several years ago as he swam at the back of a group of swimmers training. The shark caught the last one in the pack and killed the 66-year old retired local vetinarian. Another shark attack remembered by locals in Avila Bay (San Luis Obispo County) happened when a swimmer wearing a wet suit swam near the sea lions and seals and was attacked and killed in 2003.

California shark attack deaths in history: April 2008: Swimmer at Fletcher Cove, San Diego County August 2004: Diver at Ten Mile River Beach, Mendocino County August 2003: Swimmer at Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County December 1994: Diver at San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara County January 1989: Kayaker at Paradise Cove, Los Angeles County September 1984: Diver at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County December 1981: Surfer at South Moss Beach, Monterey County June 1959: Swimmer at Alligator Head, San Diego County May 1959: Swimmer at Baker Beach, San Francisco County April 1957: Swimmer at Atascadero Beach, San Luis Obispo County December 1952: Swimmer at Point Aulone, Monterey County