Deep Dark Water - Shark Attack StoriesIts Not Safe.               Shark Attack Chronicles.

This is just breathtaking .. Professional predators. What I want to know is how they take such amazing footage.

Date: August 28, 2008 11 AM
Location: Marina State Park near Monterrey California
Shark: Great White

More evidence to the fact that God is good, surfer Todd Endris needed a miracle and he got an unusual one! The 24-year-old had gone surfing with four of his friends at Marina State Park just off of the shores of Monterrey, California, enjoying a day of the sport he loved.

“[It] came out of nowhere. There’s no warning at all. Maybe I saw him a quarter second before it hit me. But no warning. It was just a giant shark,” Endris said. “It just shows you what a perfect predator they really are.”

“It was so powerful and graceful and it was so fast and effective. He lifted me out of the water and bit down twice on me - once while I was in the air and once while I was going back into the water. He bit the same area, like an inch away and gave me another row of teeth marks.”

The predator attacked Todd while he was sitting on his board, its huge jaws trying to lock around both the surfer AND his board. Apparently the shark couldn’t hold that bite and disappeared for another strike. This time with Todd laying on his board, it clamped around Endris’ torso, pinning him to the board between its jaws.

The board must have protected Todd’s internal organs, but the second strike absolutely shredded his back, peeling the skin back, he says, “like a banana peel.” Its hard to imagine what’s going through Todd’s mind at this point, but he claims that he never felt like he was going to die.

The shark stayed aggressive and came in for a third offensive, attempting to swallow Todd’s right leg. Ignoring the pain and shock, Todd kicked the shark repeatedly with his left leg until it released him.

Endris braced himself for another assault…

But what should have been absolute disaster turned into a good thing as several dolphins surrounded the victim. They had been swimming near the surfers most of the day and now suddenly they had formed a protective barrier between Todd and the shark. This gave Endris enough time to get back on his surf board and find a wave to take him into shore.

Later, Endris told Surfing Magazine, “You know the funny thing, bro, is that the only thing that was awkward is there were dolphins really close to us the whole time we were out there. They were swimming around us and swimming in front of and underneath us in a couple feet of water. And after I got hit - apparently from what the other guys said - is the dolphin all swarmed around behind me as if they were protecting me.”

Its very interesting how throughout history dolphins have stepped in to protect humans from sharks. Some biologists like to think that dolphins, being one of the most intelligent mammals, like to help the helpless.

Named for the blood in the water after a shark attack, the Red Triangle is a triangular-shaped region off the California coast where great white sharks are known frequent. There is a large population of marine mammals in this area, including elephant seals, sea otters, sea lions, and others.

And this is what draws in the predators. Great white sharks love the high fat content of these mammals, a favorite source of energy.

Somewhere close to 38% of all of the great white shark attacks on humans have occurred in the Red Triangle which extends South from Bodega Bay ( North of San Francisco ) out to the Farallon Islands and back to just South of Monterrey.

The good news, we guess, is that the shark attacks aren’t generally fatal with only 11% of the incidents resulted in death.

Here’s the documentary of one of these Red Triangle attacks:

Many biologists are tracing the increased aggression of sharks in the area to rulings similar to the US Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972. This law prevents humans from hunting the marine mammals in the Red Triangle. Great white sharks are seeing an increased food supply and as a result are producing larger litters more rapidly.

Even though the risk of being attacked by a great white shark is still extremely low, you may want to use a little extra caution when entering the Red Triangle. The chances of a shark encounter are a little higher here.

Because of the language barrier, its hard to tell exactly what happened earlier this July in this video clip. But what you can see is that a great white shark actually jumped on board what looks like a family’s vacation boat.

Just looking at a picture of a great white shark can simultaneously evoke feelings of awe for its strange beauty and of dread for its killing prowess. Imagine how your body would react if you were to suddenly meet one in the open waters.

When seen from above, the shark tends to blend into the sea due to its darker dorsal coloring. Its camouflaged as well from below as its lighter grey - white color casts a minimal silhouette against the sun. With rows of razor-sharp teeth and elegant lines, its easy to see why its such an effective predator.

They usually range anywhere from 13 to 16 feet in length and generally weigh between 1500 to 2500 lbs. Occasionally, however, there are a few large ones weighing as much as 4200 lbs and growing as long as 20 feet.

This shark is known as an apex-predator, meaning its main function is to control the population of other fish. Any animal with a high content of fat is preferred , with great white typically targeting rays, tuna, smaller sharks, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. They have been known to sample nearly anything, however, and have even eaten objects they are unable to digest.

The only exceptions to the apex-predator rule is humans, which have contributed greatly to the sharks conservation status of “threatened”. There is also the occasional attack on a great white by an orca. Dolphins have been known to kill great whites, by repeatedly ramming the shark in groups. Larger great whites have also been known to feed on smaller specimens.

Studies have shown that they typically hunt in the mornings, usually within two hours after sunrise. Apparently its the most difficult to see a shark near the bottom around this time. A great white will typically attack its prey with a forceful bite, leaving the animal wounded and then later go in to finish after its stopped struggling.