Journalism Final Project

It seems a little bit more could have been spotted other than cute seals and in the ocean around Point Loma. On November 3^rd, a Point Loma Nazarene student claimed to have spotted a 10-14 foot great white shark. Though many have been skeptical as seen in the PLNU newspaper, The Point, those who do not attend or live near the campus may not have heard the shark sighting, which causes individuals to suspect a fake sighting.

Though very possible a great white shark could have been spotted, most people do not need to worry about being attacks when looking at the statistics of shark attacks near San Diego, as well as Southern California.. According to the International Shark Attack Files (ISAF) , founded by George Burgess, there have only been 15 attacks in California since the year 2004. Last year seems to be an exception after a 67 year old man was attacked off the coast of Solana Beach on April 25^th, 2008. Since the attack, there have been a few shark sightings, but no encounters have been recorded from the ISAF.

For those not around Point Loma or near the coast, the sighting may not have been as common to hear about.

Tommy Williams from San Diego State University said “No I did not hear about it. I have not been keeping track of the local news. It seems regular there are sharks out around Point Loma. I don’t see the problem with seeing them to be honest.”

Another SDSU student, Connor Miller, did not hear about it either, which raises some doubt of his own.

“No I did not hear about it, which to me says that it was not really official or they did not do everything they could to try to spot it,” said Miller.

For those that seem to be more comfortable with the water and the creatures that inhabit the ocean, the news did not seem to be very troubling. As well as in other environments, the ocean is the sharks natural habitat. Once we go into the water, it becomes the sea animal's world.

“I mean if I was going surfing, it may be in my mind, but come on, it is the ocean and they are out there,” said Williams.

Miller believes it is not to be of concern at all. Miller stated that, “They are not that rare. I would have tried to go surfing and find the shark had I known there was one that we can see.”

Miller also said that he does not think that the claim could have been false or a hoax.

“People who respect the water are not about to go and mess around with a fake shark sighting. They know that when someone hears shark, it really should not be messed around with and taken seriously,” said Miller.

Many consider the possibility of not entering the water for some time if the beach is not closed. What some may not realize is that you have a better chance of being struck by lighting twice, as well as hit an animal while driving and be killed than you do by a shark according to the ISAF. As said by Miller and Williams, the sighting might have caused more of an uproar than was needed. But for those who are wary of the sightings, there are many precautions that can be made, which may give a safer mindset to the individuals that may be bothered by the incident.