Point Reyes Light, Inverness,CA
Great Whites do frequent Stinson and it is not uncommon for the beach to be closed as a safety measure during sightings.

Great Whites are at there peak visiting season now through January. The Farallons sees increase shark activity during these months as migrating Great Whites visit to fatten up for breeding visit the marine sanctuary to dine on Seals.

September 2, 2004

By Jim Kravets

Two people's sighting of a shark closed Stinson Beach Saturday. No
one was bitten. Park Service staff plan to reopen the waters for
swimming on Friday, Sept. 3. The public are, however, allowed to
wade up to their knees, but swimming and surfing has been prohibited.

The independent sightings, both made from the south end of the
beach, were relayed to the guard tower at about 4:30 p.m. Both
reported having seen a shark 10 to 12 feet in length roughly 75 feet
offshore.

"The individuals said they saw the silhouette of the shark in the
face of the wave," said Pat Norton, Park Service Ranger at Stinson
Beach. "They could see the dorsal fin as it turned and headed into
deeper water."

The closure occurred as fog rolled in at Stinson Beach and remained
through Sunday ? a coincidence which reduced the inconvenience to
swimmers because of the fog, Norton noted.

"This is a traditional five-day closure following a creditable
sighting," Norton said. There is typically at least one closure each
summer, the ranger added, and this is the first this year.

Stinson Beach was closed to swimmers twice in 2002. It was closed
June 1 after a 12-to-15 foot shark grabbed surfer Lee Fontan from
Bolinas and threw him four feet into the air. Fontan survived, but
100 stitches were required to close an eight-inch-deep wound in his
thigh and flank, as well as wounds to his arms, rib cage, and
shoulder.

The closure was extended after a second shark sighting occurred June
4.

This past Saturday's shark sightings at Stinson came only two weeks
after a great white shark killed an Auburn man who was part of a
group diving for red abalone 10 miles north of Fort Bragg.

Millicent Meade, owner of the Live Water Surf Shop in Stinson Beach,
said that people will resume surfing at Stinson Beach once the
closure ends despite the shark sightings. "Surfers around here
usually aren't affected by that," she said.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 05, 2004 10:52 PM: Message edited by: Great White ]</font>