Community Corner

Woman Recounts Shark Sighting at Pacifica State Beach

"For awhile the shark appeared to be motionless at the surface ..."

Last week Caroline Krieble was walking along Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica on a foggy overcast day when she says she "looked out and saw a huge Great White Shark, at least 17 feet in length, at the surface about 200 yards from shore."

She recounts the July 24th experience on Surfline: "Then a large number of fish began breaking the surface of the water which attracted pelicans and other sea birds to the area. For awhile the shark appeared to be motionless at the surface then it very slowly started swimming toward the 'boiling' school of fish. It moved ever so slowly toward the center — like a slow blade — huge blade. It was incredible. Then as the shark moved closer and closer to the schooling fish suddenly a seal jumped and as it came down all heck broke out. There was a great deal of commotion then a breach with a giant splash. It was over in about 30 seconds. Then immediately, from out of nowhere, dolphins appeared and they were everywhere - about 5 pods - with maybe 7 or more to a pod, and they were moving fast; north and south and zig-zagging. I never saw so many dolphins in one place before today, clearly beautiful but woo hoo."

According to the report on Surfline, she watched the dolphins for an additional 20 minutes but the shark did not return.

That same week, Jodie, Manuel, and Corrina Gutierrez were walking along San Gregorio State Beach, located South of Half Moon Bay, on July 22 and also experienced a shark sighting.

Jodie reported to the Shark Research Committee: “The sea gulls were making a very angry squawking sound while they were flying over the ocean and then back to the lagoon area. They would dive into the ocean and then fly off back to the lagoon. We then noticed what we thought were as many as 15 sharks swimming quickly and erratically near the surface. One of the larger shark's came to the surface and we could clearly see the dorsal fin and it was large. The larger shark was a very dark grey and 12 – 15 feet in length with a triangular dorsal fin. The other shark's appeared to be 7 – 10 feet in length and grey in color. At first we thought they were dolphins but I have never seen dolphins do a curvy jump out of the water and their dorsal fin is more rounded.”

Report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee. Shark sighting reports are provided as a public service and to inform the public about current shark activities along the Pacific Coast of North America. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here