A credible shark sighting was reported today in Leucadia, a community of the City of Encinitas.

The weather has been great and the water has been mostly glassy, making the beach a wonderful place to play. But be careful out there, and (hopefully) this was not just a Halloween spoof! Here’s the incident report I received:

To Council and Administrations,

Today at 14:58 hours, a surfer called and reported to Encinitas Lifeguards a shark sighting while surfing at Beacons Beach. Lifeguards arrived on scene to find all swimmers and surfers evacuated out of the water on their own. A thorough interview was conducted with the local reporting surfer, from Leucadia. His information was found to be credible and with detail. The shark was estimated 8’-10’ in length, 12” fin, with a 24″ tail fin. All were approximate estimates as the surfer was trying to retreat to the beach. The surfer also was confident of the type of shark as a Great White. With the information at hand, we are treating this as a credible sighting. Our current policy and procedures which are used countywide for such shark sightings are in use. Encinitas Lifeguards are warning swimmers and surfers of the shark sighting, strongly recommending to stay out of the water until tomorrow morning. Currently, no beaches are closed and we have a Lifeguard boat patrolling the area one mile north and south advising anyone in the water to stay out. A Lifeguard patrol truck is also on the beach at Beacons to warn swimmers and surfers accessing the water. The warning from City Lifeguards will continue until dark tonight. Please note, swimmers, and surfers are continuing to enter at their own risk. No further actions are planned following policy.

Hmmm. We engage in a sport like surfing, or even just swimming in the ocean for enjoyment and yet deadly sharks also inhabit the same environment. Would people still play soccer or go bowlnig if lions and tigers could arbitrarily attack them during their game?

One wonders…

1. Jim Sills says:

   October 31, 2011 at 10:58 pm

   Councilman:

   The City of Encinitas would be well-advised to
   retain the services of Gayle Falkenthal in this
   crisis, and then to unleash her on any marauding
   Great White Sharks near your shores.

   Roy Scheider got the last word on the original
   “Jaws” with a Pistol, and our own Gayle could
   do the same with aplomb.
2. La Playa Heritage says:

   November 1, 2011 at 6:53 am

   http://www.10news.com/news/29643150/detail.html

   Video. SAN DIEGO — A North County surfer spoke with 10News on Monday about his encounter with what he believes was a great white shark.