Posted by divemaster dan on June 07, 2001 at 08:24:43:
In Reply to: Soupfin Encounters posted by Chris on June 06, 2001 at 09:51:12:
There have been quite a few soupfin sightings in the La Jolla Cove area in the past month or so, by both free and scuba divers. One person counted a total of 53 encounters on one dive. While hunting seabass and sitting on the bottom at 35' I was circled by a 6 footer three times at rather close range. The shark was curious, not excited, but we had not taken a shot at any fish. I surfaced and let my buddies know it was around. I saw it at least 3 other times, often turning to scan behind me to see a soupfin tail swimming away. The last time it came to visit it had a small scratch on its side behind the gill slits. It turns out it got a little close for comfort to one of my buddies and he pushed it away with the tip of his gun. Pretty sharks, tasty (I've heard, but this one was left to swim), and nonaggressive, but they've got a nice little set of teeth. Enjoy seeing them, they were almost wiped out in the 30's and 40's by the gillnetters, and can live for more than 50 years. Maybe they will finally come back, like the white seabass and black seabass are, thanks to the 3 mile gill net limit.