Pete Thomas Outdoors

Whale watchers discover carcass teeming with hungry blue sharks; video

Blue shark savors minke whale flesh in video screen grab

By Pete Thomas

When Capt. Todd Mansur spotted a floating whale carcass through his binoculars on Saturday, he had a feeling there might be hungry sharks nearby.

Sure enough, the dead minke whale, believed to have been killed by orcas, had become a buffet for perhaps two dozen blue sharks. The sleek predators star in a highlight video published Sunday by Dana Wharf Whale Watching.

The surreal footage was captured beyond the remote windward side of Santa Catalina Island during an 8-hour excursion that also featured live whale and dolphin sightings.

As viewers can see, the sharks were not frenzied; they roamed the whale’s perimeter slowly and took turns tearing flesh from the base of its fluke.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a researcher who was aboard the Ocean Adventures during this encounter, noted that the whale’s tongue and throat were missing.

Transient orcas, or killer whales, are known to prey on minke whales, and removing the protein-rich tongue is one of their trademarks. The researcher said it was likely that orcas killed the 30-foot whale at some point before the sharks arrived.

Encounters such as this are rare for Southern California whale watchers because these events typically occur far offshore.

Most whale-watching voyages last 2-3 hours and boats do not stray far from the mainland. Dana Wharf offers sporadic 8-hour voyages – the next is scheduled Jan. 28.

Catalina snorkeler finds 18-foot oarfish carcass on sea floor

A marine science instructor at Catalina Island on Sunday was startled to find the carcass of an 18-foot oarfish resting on the sea floor.

Jasmine Santana, who works for the Catalina Island Marine Institute, had been snorkeling in Toyon Bay, not far from Avalon, where CIMI runs a kids camp.

The oarfish was dead but its slender, snake-like body was intact.

The find was described by CIMI as a "discovery of a lifetime."

The carcass required 15-20 people to carry it up the beach, according to a CIMI news release.

A group had just returned from a tall ship adventure at nearby Santa Barbara Island, and instructors were unloading gear when they spotted Santana hauling the oarfish ashore, according to CIMI spokesman Kent Woods.

"The craziest thing we saw during our two-day journey at sea happened when we got home; these islands never cease to amaze," instructor Connor Gallagher said in the release.

Oarfish, which can reach lengths of 50-plus feet, inhabit depths of 1,500-3,000 feet. They feed largely on krill and other tiny organisms and boast large, saucer-shaped eyes.

They're believed responsible, in the times of ancient mariners, for spawning tales of sea serpents and dragons that would rise like demons to steal crewmen and sink tall ships.

They're rarely encountered but sometimes when they die or are near-death, they surface and wash ashore.

Only a handful of live specimens have been found. Interestingly, Catalina was the site of two such discoveries. In 2006, a 15-foot oarfish was spotted in the island's Big Fisherman's Cove.

Harbormaster Doug Oudin snorkeled alongside the docile creature before it eventually perished. It was collected for study. Woods said that CIMI found a much smaller live oarfish at Catalina about five years ago.

Last year at the Baja California resort city of Cabo San Lucas, a 15-foot barely-live oarfish washed ashore on a popular beach. It also died soon after its discovery.

The modern discovery of oarfish may date to 1808, when a 56-foot serpent-like creature washed ashore in Scotland.

In 1901, a 22-foot oarfish drifted onto the sand in Newport Beach, California, becoming, according to one reference book, "the basis for many sea-serpent stories told by local bar patrons for more than a decade after its discovery."

–Pete Thomas

–Oarfish photos are courtesy of CIMI

Paddleboarder has close call with shark at Catalina

A 15-year-old girl was fortunate to have escaped injury Sunday at Santa Catalina Island, when a shark decided to see if her paddleboard was food.

The city of Avalon must also be feeling fortunate because had the girl been injured -- or worse -- it would have put a major damper on the beginning of the busy tourism season, which gets underway later this month.

The shark reportedly bit the paddleboard more than once about 200 yards offshore, beyond a remote stretch of coast a mile from Avalon.

The size or type of shark is not known, but great whites have been known to mistake surfboards as prey, and are ambush hunters that strike marine mammals from below.

Shark attacks at Catalina are extremely rare but a Los Angeles County Fire Department statement assured prospective visitors that lifeguards aboard rescue boats will be on the lookout for sharks.

It could be said that this incident marks the beginning of the shark-sighting season off Southern California.

Juvenile white sharks, which prey mostly on small fish until they become large enough to feed on marine mammals, utilize coastal and island waters. And more are bound to be seen or encountered as more people visit beaches and recreate in the ocean.

Fortunately for thousands of surfers and swimmers who play in the ocean each spring and summer, most sharks are able to discern between people and prey.

White seabass bite flares up again at Catalina

Capt. Tommy Lee of the Freedom checked in to report that 15 anglers on Saturday caught 10 white seabass and one yellowtail at Catalina (pictured).

"We could have had limits but we lost some," Lee said.

Top angler was Artesia's Alan Thompson, who nailed a 58-pound seabass.

The limit for the highly-prized game fish is one fish per person. Other captains from other landings have reported on-and-off success at Catalina too.

The best bite is typically during the week because the fish spook when there's too much boat pressure. The best time is in the evening or the gray light of dawn. The hot bait is live squid, fished with a light sliding sinker.

The Freedom docks at 22nd St. Landing in San Pedro. The boat leaves nightly at 10 p.m. if enough passengers sign up. Details: (310) 832-8304.

-- PTO

Surfer Jodie Nelson enjoys whale of an escort during epic paddle

When Southern California surfer Jodie Nelson set out Sunday to standup-paddle nearly 40 miles from Santa Catalina Island to Dana Point, she hoped it'd inspire her best friend, who has been involved in a long and exhausting struggle with breast cancer, to keep fighting.

Nelson, 34, whose mother and aunt are cancer survivors, also hoped her nine-hour test of endurance would raise money for two cancer charities and heighten awareness about a plight affecting millions of women.

What Nelson did not figure on was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours, thus joining the cause.

"It was a day that all of us involved will never forget," the San Clemente resident says, in reference to Angela Robinson, her best friend, and the rest of a crew aboard an escort boat.

Minke whales are not commonly seen off Southern California, and those spotted by boaters are often elusive. So when a mammal Nelson named Larry chose to become part of her endeavor to become the first woman to make this long paddle, she took it as a sign.

"To me it was a total God thing," she said. "We prayed at 4 that morning that God would reveal his beauty and creation and nature, and allow me to endure this long trek, so for me it's not such a huge surprise that this happened."

Larry did not merely swim close to Nelson. He rolled around repeatedly alongside her and blew bubbles beneath her board. A film crew was on the escort boat and CNN, Fox News and ABC are just some of the networks she says are interested in her story and the footage.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society whale researcher, said minke whales can be friendly but added: "This type of quality encounter is highly unusual."

Nelson raised only about $6,000 in advance of the paddle, disappointingly short of her target of $100,000 for the Keep a Breast Foundation and Boarding for Breast Cancer. A few of  her celebrity friends let her down, she said, but when this story reaches a national audience she expects the pool to grow considerably.

"I thought, 'I don't need so-and-so,' " she said of a particular celebrity, whom she declined to name. "Because I honestly feel like Larry is going to help us reach the $100,000 mark with our fund-raising effort."

Larry or no Larry, completing a standup paddle over 39.8 miles of ocean and sharks speaks volumes about Nelson's strength, stamina and determination.

Larry took her mind off the task for two magical hours, but her mind never strayed from the cause. "I can't even begin to compare what I did to what cancer patients are going through," she said. "But I wanted to put myself out there in a dangerous and scary, overwhelming situation; something that was big and just to show people that you can win that battle with that big, scary thing called cancer.

"I wanted to draw some kind of parallel and just encourage people to keep fighting."

Those wishing to help Nelson reach her target can do so via her page on the Keep a Breast Foundation website.

-- Pete Thomas

Free white seabass seminar tonight at Hooters of Anaheim

The weather in Southern California is warming up, and the days are getting longer, which means spring is at hand and it's only a matter of time before the white seabass bite erupts at Catalina and other Channel Islands.

With this in mind white seabass is the theme of tonight's 976-TUNA Rod and Reel Club meeting at Hooters of Anaheim. There will be free raffles and somebody will win a trip for two to La Paz with Tailhunter International. The last club meeting at Hooters was packed and fishermen are advised to arrive early.

Hooters is located at 2438 East Katella Ave. A similar seminar is scheduled for next Thursday at National Sports Grill in Torrance.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of angler with white seabass courtesy of Oceanside Anglers

Man ordered to pay restitution for 2007 Catalina Island fire

 

Remember the raging hellfire that threatened to burn down Avalon on Catalina Island in the spring of 2007?

Island residents will not soon forget and will forever give thanks to a last-minute shift in wind that spared the historic community and perhaps many lives.

Indiana's Gary Dennis Hunt will not forget either. He was deemed responsible for igniting the blaze, accidentally, while working as a subcontractor, and this week was ordered to pay $11.9 million in restitution to Southern California Edison. That's in addition to the $4-plus million Hunt was ordered to pay last August to three other entities.

Hunt, 51, pleaded no contest last February to recklessly igniting the fire with a torch he used on cables while working on a radio tower. He was sentenced to five years probation, plus either 720 hours of community service or 90 days of jail, or Caltrans service. Insurance will cover some of his restitution.

The fire burned out of control and destroyed one home and other structures, plus 4,000 acres of brush. In its aftermath Catalina Island Conservancy teams made it a top priority to bring back native flora and protect it from browsing deer.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo courtesy of John Talsky