Eerily empty surf breaks were standard order last weekend along
the coast of Carpinteria after two mama seals were attacked and
killed by a great white shark Thursday afternoon. The
attacks – which were observed and photographed by visitors to the
bluff-top Seal Watch area above the Harbor Seal
Sanctuary – prompted city officials to immediately close the
beaches adjacent to the oil and gas plant pier and extend an
official word of caution to beachgoers. The great white shark has
been a long-rumored – though rarely confirmed – visitor to
typically tranquil channel waters, but last week’s sighting is not
entirely unexpected given the current seal breeding season and
unusually cold water temperatures, according to experts at the
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
