Great White Shark

Are there great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the San Francisco Bay? There are at least four which have been seen and tagged, though their sightings are uncommon. Great White Sharks are among the most villainized of shark species, perhaps due to their massive lengths of up to 20 feet and numerous rows of sharp, serrated teeth. Despite what their starring role in Jaws may lead you to believe, these predators only make an occasional habit of attacking surfers disguised as their favorite prey: the California Sea Lion. While hunting this prey, White Sharks exhibit an interesting predation technique by swimming upward from ocean depths in order to launch themselves into the air, capturing an incredibly surprised sea lion. Although quite the amazing sight to behold, this behaviour cannot be viewed from the bay as it is far too shallow for our local sharks to gather enough speed in order to launch 6,600 lbs of pure muscle into the air. They have their young in Southern CA, so sharks that venture into the bay are adults and sub-adults only.