Last week a University of Florida report revealed there were 79 unprovoked shark attacks on humans in 2010. The U.S. led the way with 36 and Florida was the top state, as usual, with 13.
On Thursday the Shark Research Committee issued a news release detailing the seven unprovoked attacks -- one of them fatal -- off the West Coast in 2010. All seven are presumed to have involved great white sharks.
The fatal bite was inflicted on a bodyboarder last October off Surf Beach near Lompoc.
Ralph S. Collier, who runs the Shark Research Committee, lists five attacks as having occurred off California (one more than the University of Florida report). Two were off Oregon.
Two attacks occurred in July, August and October, while one occurred in September. Three involved surfers, two involved kayakers, one involved a paddleboarder, and there was the fatal attack on Lucas Ransom, a student at UC Santa Barbara.
All of the attacks occurred north of Santa Barbara. The Oregon attacks were at Winchester Bay and the Siuslaw River.
The report states there have been 56 attacks off the West Coast since 2000, half of which occurred in August (10), September (eight) and October (10). Surfers were involved in 68%, or 38 of the 56 attacks.
-- Pete Thomas
Great white shark image by Christy Fisher / Shark Diver
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