Re: [Paddlewise] Shark attacks on kayakers

   Thanks to Jackie Myers for so thoroughly researching this incident off
the California coast. The death of two seakayakers by breaching whale seems
like a bit of a stretch. Too bad they died, and with no witnesses, it appears
to be a permanent cold case.

Brad


Quoting Jackie Myers <jackie_at_muddypuppies.com>:

> Doug Lloyd wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> The two paddlers who disappeared off the California coast (Point   
>> Dume) were never officially listed as shark attack victims,
>
>
> Once upon a time ago, they were included in the ISAF.
>
>> I don't think (never saw the coroner's report), rather shark expert  
>>  John McCosker reached that conclusion while local paddlers and   
>> kayaking experts disagreed with the conclusion of McCosker, who   
>> himself was part of a feeding frenzy - by the media.
>
>
> Yup.  That about sums it up.  McCosker was ready to go to print with
> his Great White Shark book (illustrated by Richard Ellis) when Roy
> Stoddard and Tamara McAllister went missing (Tamara's body was later
> found).  So he held up the printing process in order to add the
> sensational section about the couple being killed by a white pointer,
> spinning a fish tale unlike anything ever heard of in the world of
> shark experts.  McCosker is the reason the two were originally listed.
>
>> The one kayaker who's body was recovered, Stoddard, as well as   
>> later the other paddler that went missing, have had both their   
>> names removed from the shark attack files according to Jackie, our   
>> past list mom.
>
>
> I emailed George Burgess (and others in the field of ichthyology) about
> this fish story.  Burgess (who maintains the ISAF) knew the wild tale
> didn't make sense.  Eventually, the two names were removed (see
> "International Shark Attack File" Map of California's Confirmed
> Unprovoked Shark Attacks 1926-2007
> http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapCA.htm ).
> Misinformation about this incident still exists on the internet.
>
> btw, the expert kayakers that viewed the damaged kayak suspected that
> the kayak was damaged by a breaching whale.  They did not see anything
> that resembled a bite on the kayak.  There were no teeth left behind.
>
>
> Jackie
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