Monterey White Shark Attack
File

This page contains detailed descriptions of all the attacks on humans by white sharks that have been documented in the Monterey area. Some of the material is graphic and should not be viewed by young children. They are listed in chronological order of occurance.

Basic Attack Statistics

No. 1

17 year-old Barry Wilson has the distinction of being the first recorded white shark victim in Monterey, AND the first recorded white shark fatality in California. On Dec. 7, 1952, he was swimming about 25 yards from the shore in Pacific Grove (there is some question as to exactly where. Conflicting reports put it at Lover's Point, the more likely spot, and Point Anlone, which is the present location of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.) when he was struck from the front by a 12ft. white shark. Another swimmer came to his aid, but the shark struck again, this time from behind. The first strike appears from the autopsy pictures to have been on the left leg. The second appears to have caused the devastating wound to upper half of the right leg. This wound extended from the knee to the buttock, exposing the femur, and severing the femoral artery. Barry died of exsanguination before he could be brought to shore. Water conditions were reported to be murky, about 8ft. visibility.

No. 2

At 9:00 am on 6 February, 1955, Peter Jocobs became the second person to be attacked by a white shark in the Monterey area. He was spear fishing in Pacific Grove (site unknown), and had returned to the surface after spearing a cabezon. The shark came up from behind him as he was swimming, and bit him on the feet. One foot was cut up, but not too badly, and the fin on his other foot was lost. He was able to make it ashore without further injury.

No. 3

D. Barthman was spearfishing while free-diving at Cypress Point at 10:00 am on 22 January, 1966. He had not yet speared a fish, and was resting on the surface in 60ft.-deep water, when a white shark bit him on the arm. It then grabbed him by the leg and shook him. He was able to fight it off by striking it with his speargun. He suffered severe injuries, despite the fact that the attacking shark was said to be relatively small.

No. 4

The attack on Lewis Boren is probably the best known California white shark incident. On the morning of 19 December, 1981, Boren had been surfing with friends. After lunch, he returned to surf at Spanish Bay (near Pt. Joe), alone. The last anyone saw of him was when his friends talked to him at 2:00 that afternoon. The next day, two surfers found his board washed up on the shore. A large chunk had been bitten out of it. They found the missing piece only a short distance away. It wasn't until December 24th that Boren's body was found. From the wounds, it appeared that he had been lying on his board with his arms stretched out when a large white shark struck from the left side. The shark bit through both Boren and his board. Boren's wound reached from his left armpit to his left hip, and more than halfway across his body. From the tooth count and size of the bite, the shark was estimated to be 17-19ft. long. Water conditions that day were rough, with average temperature and extremely good visibility.

No. 5

Frank Gallo had been SCUBA diving off Cypress Point on 6 December, 1986. He had taken his tank off and gone back in the water to do some spearfishing while free diving. He was just about to spear a fish, when he was hit from the right side by a shark. The animal grabbed him on the upper right side of his body, puncturing his lung, and inflicting serious wounds to his chest, shoulder, and neck. Gallo struck at the shark, which eventually released him. He swam to shore, and was rushed to the hospital, where he required 3 hours of surgery to patch him up. The wounds in his neck only missed his carotid artery by millimeters. His wetsuit, which was left on him, was said to be the only thing holding him together. The shark was estimated to be 12-15ft. long. I've since heard that Gallo died while free diving in the Red Sea.

No. 6

During the eighties there was a woman diver attacked at Monastery Beach while swimming on the surface. She was bit on the lower leg. I include this incident because it is often mentioned in discussions of local shark attacks. However, the opinion of many shark experts is that this was not a white shark attack. The teeth marks were more indicative of a piscivorous animal. White sharks leave a distinct pattern with their sawing, jagged teeth. This bite showed the marks of pointed, grasping teeth.

No. 7

Marco Flagg was the latest person to be attacked around Monterey. On 30 June, 1995, at around 5:30pm, Marco was diving with two friends in Bluefish Cove at Pt. Lobos State Park. He was at about 50ft., in water about 90ft. deep, using a scooter, when off to his right he saw a large pectoral fin go by at the edge of his visibility. He recognized it as being that of a great white, and decided it was time to head back to the boat. After turning around and starting back, he looked down and to his left, and saw a large mouth, full of teeth, coming straight at him. The shark grabbed him in the same way that Boren (attack #4) had been bitten. As it bit, he felt intense pressure, but no pain. The shark released him after a couple of seconds, and he proceeded to the boat. Once he reached the boat, he managed to climb aboard, start the motor, and rev it to get the attention of his buddies. He received three relatively minor wounds, one to his left forearm, one to his left leg, and one on his abdomen. He was wearing an instrument package designed by the company for which he works. It is housed in an aluminum console about the dimensions of a brick. At the time of the attack, it was positioned over his stomach. The shark's bite apparently sandwiched Marco between the console and his steel tank. There were teeth marks in both, and Marco suffered a bruise where the console was positioned. For more information, see Marco's own account of the incident

Photo Credits

Wilson(#1)-p.35, Dangerous Marine Animals, 2nd ed. B.W. Halstead, M.D. Cornell Maritime Press, Centreville, MD. 1980.

Boren(#4)-p.168, Great White Shark, Ellis and McCosker. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. 1991.

© Gary Villa, 1995-2002 All Rights Reserved