Posted by Karl S. on November 30, 2001 at 08:15:09:
FYI this info was posted on BA_Diving. For those of you who may be asking about shark trips, here it is.
Chuck Tribolet wrote:
>
> Great White season is just ending at the Farallones.
> Patriot ran their last trip out there a couple of
> weeks ago.
>
> Bruce Watkins, correct me if I'm wrong.
It it too easy for me to draw conclusions from too little
data, but I'll do what I can.
Some sharks are in coastal waters year around. Yearling
elephant seals move into haul out areas (Farallons, Aņo
Nuevo, Piedras Blancas) from September through November, and
the sharks congregated to feed (perhaps 50 at a time). I
believe the season at Aņo runs a bit later. Shark watchers
are at the Farallons from September through the week before
Thanksgiving (as was the Patriot). There are also sharks out
at the Farallons in August and December, but not as many.
Urchin divers say they don't see any sharks after New Years
Day. Where they go after that is somewhat of a mystery.
Satellite tags and catch data seem to indicate females go
south to the Channel islands and Baja, males head west. They
seem to come back in March when the gray whales are heading
north, and juvenile elephant seals hit the water for the
first time. They also seem to show up at surfing beaches in July.
Bruce