“This was the heaviest thing that has ever happened to me,” said professional surfer Greg Emslie after an encounter with a massive white shark at Queensbury Bay yesterday – Sat 22 May.

An idyllic surf at the Eastern Cape point break, with fellow professional surfer Rosy Hodge, came very close to ending in tragedy, with Emslie being relentlessly circled and buzzed by a great white, and Rosy almost paddling straight into the danger zone.

“The whole thing must have taken about three to four minutes, but it felt like absolute ages,”said Greg. “I had plenty of time to size it up, and it was probably about four metres in length. It was like right out of the water. Both fins out, just staring at me. We had full eye contact for most of the time as well, just fully sussing each other out the whole time.”

East London is well-known for shark encounters and attacks, and there was an attack a few weeks ago down the road at Port Alfred. While this didn’t lead into an attack, it was enough to rattle the two surfers properly. “I was just thinking, this is it,” said Greg. “I’m going to get hit. It kept on coming at me, while I sat with my feet up on my board.”

Rosy had just caught a wave and had ridden it in. When she started paddling back out, she had no idea what was going on. as Rosy recalls, “Then Greg started shouting and I thought, ‘Oh cool, he’s claiming my wave.’” Rosy continued to paddle. “Earlier in the day we had had some dolphins around and when I saw the two fins I thought there were two dolphins by Greg. As I got close I saw that it was a gaint shark, showing it’s dorsal and tail fin, and I realised that Greg was in serious trouble.”

read full story at http://www.zigzag.co.za/

Seabase International announces they are to distribute the Surfer’s Skin range of sunscreens in Europe Developed in New Zealand to overcome the severe UV conditions experienced by surfers, the Surfers Skin range of waterproof sunscreens has been widely accepted throughout New Zealand in all outdoor pursuits where it’s waterproof, sweat-proof and non-sting qualities have been praised. The development company, Skin Alive, also produces a range of sunscreen for Golfers and Snowboarders and skiers with all products accepted for a huge range of other activities and its qualities become well known.    Claiming a 30+ SPF factor, (Factor 50 is only 0.5% more effective) and at least two hours of waterproof protection and Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB protection, Surfers Skin is perfect for any conditions likely to be experienced anywhere in Europe.   “We consistently get UV ratings of 15 out of 15 – extreme conditions with very short burn times in our New Zealand summers. Surfers Skin, with its high protection factor, ease of application, and safety factors will be the choice of all surfers – just as it has been in New Zealand for years” says Seabase International Director Murray Steward. “We are proud to offer it under our 100% Quality 100% Waterproof sign-off in Europe – it perfectly fits our quality image as we strive to offer total and complete satisfaction in both product and service to the surf industry”. Surfers Skin has paid close attention to safety issues with the product line containing no Parabens or nanoparticles. Rich in nature’s new wonder material, Manuka Honey, and aloe vera, Surfers skin is particularly safe to use for children and its sweat-proof formula doesn’t run easily to sting young eyes. Safe for all skin types.

story via http://www.seabase.eu/

Check out some stories on shark encounters at sharkresearchcommittee.com. We have mentioned some of their reports before, and some of these stories are interesting. The last few days reports are below:

San Onofre State Beach —   On April 26, 2010 Eric Lizerbaum was Stand-Up-Paddle Boarding at Dog Patch, San Onofre State Beach. It was 10:00 AM and he had been on the water 2 hours. The sky was overcast and grey with an estimated air temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The water was 10 – 15 feet deep, with 5 feet of visibility, an estimated temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and a ‘silty’ ocean floor. The surf was running about 3 feet. Lizerbaum reported; “I was paddling south towards the Nuclear Power plant in San Onofre to catch a left rolling in. I was stroking quickly with the paddle, and made the turn towards shore to catch the left hand wave, and right before catching the wave a large 9 foot Great White swam very slowly under my board with only about a foot between the shark and my board (my board was 8′ 6″ and the shark was definitely bigger than my board), the movements were very slow and steady and staying with my board as I caught the wave. If I would have fallen, I would have literally been riding the shark. I was surprised at how calm and slow the swimming pattern demonstrated by the shark, and not quick or sudden as I would have presumed. I kept surfing for one more wave further North closer to other surfers. I told people in the water, but no one left the surf and stated the sharks are seen here often, and perhaps it is a breeding ground, and that most of the Great Whites here are small.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

San Onofre State Beach —   On April 26, 2010 Ronald Chrislip was ‘Stand-Up Paddle Boarding’ at San Onofre State Beach. It was 9:00 AM and he had been on the water about 1 hour. The sky was overcast and the ocean calm with 3 – 4 foot swells. Air and water temperatures were estimated at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The water was 10 feet deep over a sandy ocean bottom with scattered areas of small rocks and 5 feet of visibility. Small bait fish were present in the area but no marine mammals were observed. Chrislip reported; “I had cut my toe on rocks earlier in morning and wasn’t aware of bleeding until I came out of the water. I was standing on my board about 100 yards from shore. As I was standing on my paddle board the shark swam under my board, very slowly, and stayed a few seconds in front of me. The shark was 8 – 9 feet in length and was clearly visible. I almost fell on top of him. I have 40 years experience surfing and fishing and believe the shark looked like a Great White juvenile. After sighting the shark I paddled in and that is when I noticed my toe was bleeding heavily. I talked to two others on the beach who had seen the same shark. One guy had fallen in impact zone and saw its tail right next to him.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Seacliff State Beach —  On April 23, 2010 David Trumbull and Jeremiah Spears were ‘Boogie Boarding’ at Seacliff State Beach located off Highway 1 in the town of Aptos, about 5 miles South of Santa Cruz. It was about 8:00 PM and they had been on the water about 2 hours. They were about 50 feet from shore in water 10 – 12 feet deep. There was a heavy shore break with chest high waves and a sandy ocean floor. About 4 Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) had been observed earlier in their session but were not present during the encounter. Trumbull reported; “I paddled out using only my flippers to get outside the break. I stopped to look around to see where I should wait for the next set. I looked to my right, about 30 – 40 feet away, and thought I saw a Sea Lion sticking its head high out of the water to look around. It took about 3 seconds to realize that it was a very large dorsal fin, about 1.5 – 2 feet high, dark in color. As soon as I realized it was a shark, the dorsal fin turned towards me. I started paddling again using only my flippers making sure not to make a splash. The shark submerged a few seconds after turning towards me but was not seen again. Once on shore Jeremiah told me he had also seen the fin. The shark was moving slow, non aggressive.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.