Oftentimes, tourists can see California sea lions and harbor seals hauled-out on the rocks, basking in the sun; however, as many local divers and swimmers can attest, pinnipeds are not always a good omen, as their presence usually lures bigger, predatory sharks—namely the great whites. During the winter, these apex predators breed, hunting the plentiful seals around the kelp forest, and sometimes, coming even closer to shore. Piers, caves, and buoys are areas that surfers avoid for these reasons, as sharks patrol these locations to ambush pinnipeds diving back into the water. However, with very few exceptions, the majority of shark encounters are uneventful and not aggressive, and, many times, great white sharks may come within mere feet of surfers or swimmers yet remain completely unnoticed; it is often only with drone footage that such close encounters are even observed.
Oftentimes, tourists can see California sea lions and harbor seals hauled-out on the rocks, basking in the sun; however as many local divers and swimmers can attest, pinnipeds are not always a good omen, as their presence usually lures bigger, predatory sharks—namely the great whites. During the winter, these apex predators breed, hunting the plentiful seals around the kelp forest, and sometimes, coming even closer to shore. Piers, caves, and buoys are areas that surfers avoid for these reasons, as sharks patrol these locations to ambush pinnipeds diving back into the water. However, with very few exceptions, the majority of shark encounters are uneventful and not aggressive, and, many times, great white sharks may come within mere feet of surfers or swimmers yet remain completely unnoticed; it is often only with drone footage that such close encounters are even observed.