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Rare sight: Whale shark, largest shark in the world, surprises local spearfisherman off Southern Cal
A whale shark was spotted about 30 miles off the Dana Point coastline, a rare sight for local waters. (Courtesy of Joey Engel)
By LAYLAN CONNELLY | lconnelly@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: September 14, 2020 at 11:36 a.m. | UPDATED: September 14, 2020 at 11:36 a.m.
Joey Engel saw the shadow swimming under him and knew something very big lurked beneath him.
The angler was about 30 miles off the Dana Point coast on Sunday, armed with a speargun and swimming in a kelp patty when he saw the 15-foot shark about 40 feet below the ocean’s surface.
“What in the world is that?” he said he wondered. “It was my natural reaction to get out of the water and jump back on the boat. Right when I got out of the water, something told me to look behind.”
The curious creature swam up right next to the 20-foot skiff he was on, and stayed long enough for Engel to snap a quick photo. The visitor’s body was nearly the size of the boat.
Engel said he quickly figured out it wasn’t one of the sharp-tooth, aggressive kind of sharks, but rather a whale shark, the world’s largest species of shark that seemed to be far from home in more tropical waters.
More:
https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/09/14/rare-sight-whale-shark-largest-shark-in-the-world-surprises-local-spearfisherman-off-southern-california/
