{"id":1785,"date":"2011-07-08T06:09:36","date_gmt":"2011-07-08T06:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/daviddilworth.com\/pol\/?p=1785"},"modified":"2025-06-09T09:50:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T16:50:22","slug":"white-shark-death-capitol-pacific-grove-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daviddilworth.com\/pol\/white-shark-death-capitol-pacific-grove-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Death by Great White Shark – Pacific Grove, California is Number One !"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Great<\/a>

Great White<\/strong> Shark (Carcharodon carcharias), Credit: Wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n

While the local Chamber of Commerce doesn\u2019t really tout this feature, Pacific Grove, California is the world leader for a town or city<\/u> with the most number of people killed by Great White sharks<\/a>.(1)<\/p>\n

1952: December 7
\nSwimmer Barry Wilson<\/strong> was savagely bitten by a Great White<\/strong> shark less than 100 feet from Lover\u2019s Point beach, a protected cove and popular family attraction. The shark was estimated at some 15 feet long. This is also California’s first recorded<\/span> white shark fatality. Notably, Barry was inside the kelp forest.
\n
\n1981: December 19
\nSurfer Lou Boren<\/strong> was bitten and killed by a Great White<\/strong> shark at Asilomar Beach<\/a>, a popular surfing and picnic beach on the open ocean. The shark was estimated at some 17-19 feet long.<\/p>\n

\"Asilomar

Asilomar Beach<\/p><\/div>\n

So of the 35 deaths attributed to Great White Sharks along continental North America – two occurred in<\/i><\/u><\/b> Pacific Grove<\/strong>. (2)<\/p>\n

As far as we can determine \u2013 no other town in the world has had more than one person killed by a Great White<\/strong> shark. (And it seems that December might be a good time to try hiking instead.)<\/p>\n

This headline is possibly misleading as some Counties or Boroughs may equal or exceed this. For example, two people were killed by a large shark in July 1916 within minutes of each other near New Jersey’s Matawan Borough – some 11 miles from the ocean<\/em> ! (Though this may have been a Bull Shark – which is under appreciated as a terror.)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Pacific

Pacific Grove Police Warning about Shark Danger<\/p><\/div>\n

So as far as we can find out – more people have been killed by Great White<\/strong> Sharks in Pacific Grove<\/strong> than any other town<\/u><\/strong><\/em> in the world. (I write “in” because Pacific Grove<\/strong> is rather unusual in actually owning the underwater “land” where both attacks occurred.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information, see — http:\/\/www.jawshark.com\/great_white_shark_news_articles_us.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Survived Attacks: There are many more divers, kayakers and surfers who have been attacked and lived. See — http:\/\/darwin.bio.uci.edu\/~rvilla\/attack.html<\/a>
\nExpert goes to extreme to portray great white sharks in positive light<\/a><\/p>\n

Shark Attack Map, July 2012 (Warning – this is not a complete list and some locations are miles from the actual event)<\/a><\/p>\n