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  • Gaviota Pier Knocked Down by Waves

    Gaviota Pier Knocked Down by Waves

    Surf’s up, but now the pier is down. California surfers have been enjoying the high waves near the state beach’s Gaviota Pier, but according to the Santa Maria Times, it is now unavailable to visitors who fish and launch boats there due to the powerful tides crashing into it.

    Close to 50 feet of the Gaviota Pier is now underwater since Saturday morning; the waves began to assault the pier pilings, and there she blows. One third of the pier was lost in yesterday’s incident, and there will likely be more damage to come. The waves don’t seem to be letting up and Eric Hjelstrom, the sector supervisor for the California State Parks, stated that “once one (a piling) goes, they all go down like dominos.”

    No one was hurt, and no boats were docked at the time of the pier collapse. Hjelstrom has concerns about the boat hoist that still stands– the remaining parts of the pier now directly expose it to the crashing waves.

    The pier was founded in 1769, when soldiers shot an apparently very tasty seagull there and named it “La Gaviota,” which is Spanish for seagull. It is known for being windy, which makes it a popular area for not only fishermen and boaters, but for surfers as well.

    The collapse of the pier now sounds like more canvas for surfers to hang ten, but the beach and pier are closed for safety reasons.

    Micheal Rodrigues captured the pier in a grainy video thats going viral– check it out.

    The reopening of Gaviota Pier has not yet been determined.

    Image via NDN

  • Shark Photobomb, Just When You Thought it Was Safe!

    Some types of sharks such as great whites have a reputation for being fierce predators, the type that can easily capture prey. So, when a shark is noticed as part of the backdrop within a family picture after-the-fact, surprise is one expected emotion. On Friday, June Emerson snapped photos of her family enjoying time at Manhattan Beach. Emerson’s 12-year-old son Quinn is shown surfing in one of the photos in front of what appears to be an image of either a shark or a dolphin.

    According to June Emerson, there are many who have concluded that the marine creature was a shark. “It was quite a shock to see [the photo].” Emerson said before adding, “Many local surfers and lifeguards have seen this and believe it to be a shark. Of course, I told my kids it was a dolphin, as we live at the beach and are in the waters here almost daily.”

    The thought of being within feet of a shark may sound exciting and thrilling to some; however, Emerson shared a different take on the experience when interviewed by CBS2/KCAL9. “I’m not sure what it was, but it definitely scared me when I thought it might be a shark,” she said.

    According to the Shark Research Committee, sharks are a diverse species. “Some sharks give live birth, some lay eggs. Some are carnivores and others survive on phytoplankton and zooplankton. Some sharks do not reach maturity until they are more than 10 years of age,” the Shark Research Committee website explains. Humans have entered the domain of many types of sharks.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwubcIRkV6k

    The Shark Research Committee details three types of known shark encounters including: an unprovoked shark attack distinguished by an aggressive “striking” or display, a shark encounter where the shark circles the human without leading to any sort of violence, and white shark predation that involves the shark hunting down, capturing, and eating prey.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVp3U_5mqI

    Image Via Twitter