Sharks

The marine layer cleared late this morning, so we decided to take a beach walk after visiting our recyle center and the donation drop off at our local thrift store.

We chose the beach at Isla Vista, which is adjacent to the housing neighborhood for students at the University of California at Santa Barbara. There are also scattered, friendly people there living in RV's and vans.

One can walk along the bluffs, then descend stairs down to the beach, or continue, like we did, on the bluff path all the way to Coal Oil Point. It was remarkably clear, our Channel Islands which are about 45 miles out to sea were unusually visable for a summer day. The sky was a deep blue and way out the ocean was a fitting navy blue.

Then we spotted them. Sharks! The waves were breaking gently, it was high tide and there seemed to be a clear corridor of green, tropical looking, shallow water between the shoreline and deeper water. We first counted 7 of them, at least 5 feet long, swimming very slowly back and forth. As we walked along we lost count, as they would turn and go back the way they came. They were, in a word, sinister.

Then, a woman with her young son approached the stair way to the beach. The boy had a boogie board under his arm. I decided to butt in and told them about the sharks and she quickly told her son that he wasn't going in the water today! She thanked me. Of course, the boy wanted to know what kind of sharks they were. I suppose they were sand sharks, but they were big and very black, that's all I cared about. And thot their behavior strange, so close to the beach.

We tracked the sharks for several hundred feet, then the path was too far away from the ocean. As we doubled back to leave we saw them again, not as clearly. Just as we were heading back to the car we were treated to dolphins way off shore. Sighting them always makes me happy.

A very special day and very unforgettable.