Point Reyes Light - September 2, 1999
Sharks leave Stinson for swimmers
National Park Service officials on Wednesday reopened Stinson Beach to swimming and surfing after repeated white shark sightings forced them to close the waters last week.
The beach has been off-limits to swimmers and surfers since Aug. 23, when a 12- to 15-foot white shark was spotted approximately 50 yards offshore, and then again the following day.
The ban, which had allowed wading only up to the knees, was extended beyond the initial reopening date of Aug. 28 after two additional sightings last Thursday.
According to Golden Gate National Recreational Area spokesperson Christine Powell, a Stinson Beach resident and a park lifeguard reported seeing a white shark, 15 minutes apart, in the middle of the afternoon.
"The shark was seen about 50 to 70 yards offshore at the north end of Stinson Beach, heading towards Bolinas Lagoon," Powell said.
While Powell said that there is no way of determining if the sightings were of the same shark, she did confirm that the sightings on all three days were of white sharks. "The bottom line is the same [after all shark sightings]," she said. "Stay out of the water."
Over the weekend, Stinson's beaches were crowded with visitors, but park lifeguards stationed patrol vehicles near the tide-line to enforce the ban and to keep a watchful eye on the water.
The Park Service typically sends out extra patrols during periods of shark sightings, Powell explained. Lifeguards and rangers monitored the waters offshore in a zodiac patrol boat, as well as from the usual posts on the beach.
Powell also said that it is normal to see white sharks "run" Stinson Beach during August and September.
"We've been told there's good feeding close to shore this time of year," she said. While white sharks do not feed on the surface, it is likely that the shark is patrolling the shore in search of a meal.
Typically, sightings off Stinson Beach are isolated, and the Park Service allows people to enter the water at their own risk. But with repeated reports of sharks, officials thought it prudent to close the surf, as a "safety net," Powell explained.
"It's their home," she said of the predators. "When they are around, we have to alter our schedule to accommodate them."