Shark spotted swimming off coast of Pacific Grove

By KSBW Staff

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    PACIFIC GROVE, California (KSBW) — Video taken by KSBW 8 viewer Ryan Donnelly shows a small shark swimming off the coast of Pacific Grove, near Lovers Point.

The video, taken on Friday, shows the shark’s dorsal fin and tail appearing out of the water as it swims between the shoreline and the nearby kelp.

Barbara Block is a marine science professor at Stanford University, located at Hopkins Marine Station. Block tells KSBW 8 this is a very common spotting this time of year.

“At this time of year, we have a variety of shark species in the Monterey Bay region, including mako, white sharks, thresher sharks and leopard sharks,” said Block.

Block said that her team has seen juvenile white sharks, between five and eight feet in length, in the Monterey Bay near the shore.

“Here in Monterey and Pacific Grove, we have a very wild shoreline complete with natural beauty that enables seeing pods of dolphins, an occasional shark, seals, sea lions and elephant seals right here from shore,” noted Block.

Block’s lab operates a buoy in the Monterey Bay, a short distance from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which tracks tagged acoustic sharks. In the past three months, the buoy has reported two sharks in its vicinity. No tagged sharks have been reported in the past month.

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