The number of great white sharks along the Southern California shore is soaring. abc7leanne set out with a team of researchers to find out what's bringing them here, and what it means for those taking to the water.
Off the Southern California coast not far from San Diego, it looks any other patch of the Pacific Ocean -- until you look from above.Eyewitness News visited the area with a team of researchers from the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab. Our boat left early in the morning from San Diego for the two-hour trip north to this new shark gathering spot, just feet from the shore.
"The first time I saw white shark near a beach, a baby white shark near a beach, I just couldn't believe it," said Chris Lowe, the head of Shark Lab. "I've been working on and off in California for almost 35 years. When I was a grad student here back in the late 80s, it was rare. I mean, I've never heard of that.
Southern California surfers and swimmers are now sharing the waves with more white sharks than ever before. Plus, drone footage is giving the world a bird's eye view of what is lurking beneath the surface, often unseen by those in the water. Eyewitness News reporter Leanne Suter took to the water and paddleboarded right next to the mysterious marine animals, just inches away from one of the most feared creatures on the planet."Most of the sharks that we see are 6 to 8 feet long," said Lowe. "They're toddlers, they're three, four years old. The biggest ones we see in the nursery might be bucking 10 feet, but we just seem to pass through. They don't stay.
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