Great white closes beach

There were few surfers at Sonoma County’s Doran Beach Tuesday morning, but it was the smooth, waveless sea that kept them from the water, not the threat of sharks.

Farther down the coast in Marin County, Stinson Beach remained closed to swimmers and surfers after a great white shark was spotted Sunday night, according to park officials.

The shark, estimated to be 8 to 10 feet long, was seen at about 7 p.m. about 125 yards from shore.

“It was by former lifeguard and fisherman, he knows what he saw; that is why we are confident it was a great white shark,” said John Ralph, lifeguard supervisor at Stinson, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Surfers know the risk of shark attack and unless there is a direct threat, they’re back in the water — somewhere. Beaches in the area of sightings are usually closed for five days, which is the length of time a shark will feed in an area.

Stinson waters will reopen Friday.

“We saw no cars when we arrived today and were wondering if something happened,” said Ben Perlman, 18, a Bodega Bay resident surfing at Salmon Creek beach Tuesday morning. “I tried to stay in close because sharks are less likely to be there,” said the surfer who was at Salmon Creek beach Tuesday morning.

Harold Appleton, also of Bodega Bay, said, “I try not to think about it too much. I’ve been present at a number of shark incidents and I just move on to the next beach,” he said.

Peter Klimley of Petaluma, a shark behaviorist at UC Davis, said this is the time of year that great white sharks arrive on the North Coast to feed on seals and sea lions.

A popular spot for great whites is Double Point, which is between Drakes and Bolinas bays, where they will feed during August, September and October, Klimley said.

Ralph said he immediately got people out of the water at Stinson and went to the adjacent Bolinas beaches to let the surfers there know about the sighting.

Stinson and Bolinas are both popular surfing spots.

“I have a lot of kids today. I let them go knee deep and let them play with their boogie boards,” Ralph said.

The National ParK Service also posted a warning at Marin County’s Upton’s Beach, which is adjacent to Stinson.

The nearby beach in Bolinas, however, is neither a county or national beach and was crowded with surfers on Monday, said workers at the 2 Mile Surf Shop.

The last sighting at Stinson was in May 2007, when a great white also was spotted.

Klimley said when sharks do bite humans, it is a case of mistaken identity.

“They prefer energy-rich prey,” he said. “They are in cold water, hence they feed on seals with all the fat and spit out people.”

Klimley also said a great white traveling on the surface is usually on its way somewhere and less of a threat than one submerged, which is how they hunt their prey.

“I do think closing beaches is a good idea,” he said.