lying in wait
Dozens of sharks lurk yards from coastline weeks after swimmer was ‘spat out’ by predator
DOZENS of sharks have been spotted lurking off the California coastline – weeks after a swimmer was savaged by a great white.
Scores of leopard sharks were detected near the seaside resort of La Jolla, San Diego County earlier this week.
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Dramatic footage shows the animals surfacing the ocean bed as they hunt for food.
Stunning aerial shots captured the sharks swimming near paddleboarders.
Alexandra Mier y Teran, of Everyday California, told : “During the summer and early into the early fall months, we see the migration of mostly female pregnant leopard sharks who come over to the La Jolla area to enjoy the warmer waters.
"They speed up their gestation period and they’re actually able to give birth to their young a little bit sooner than a typical pregnancy for sharks.”
Alexandra revealed the sharks grind their teeth together to crunch crustaceans’ shells.
The predators tend to live along the Pacific coastline and flock to La Jolla because of its warm waters.
Leopard sharks usually migrate to shorelines between June and December.
The species, which are fairly harmless to humans, feast on marine life including fishes and crabs, and measure up to seven feet in length.
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There hasn't been a fatal leopard shark attack, but a diver was injured by the animal in Trinidad Bay, California in 1955.
Manny Ezcurra, of the , said: “Leopard sharks have a reputation for being docile toward people.”
Earlier this month, a paddleboarder, from Pacific Grove, and his dog were thrown off his board when a shark attacked.
Both didn’t suffer any injuries following the terrifying ordeal, reports.
Cops said the shark swam underneath the board and flipped it.
Officers admitted that they didn’t know the species of the shark.
Steve Bruemmer, 62, was mauled by a great white last month.
He told that he was bitten “furiously” across his thighs and abdomen.
'FURIOUSLY' BITTEN
Recalling the attack, Bruemmer said: “And it grabbed me and then pulled me up and then dove me down in the water, then it spit me out.
"It was looking at me, right next to me.
“I thought it could bite me again so I pushed it with my hand and I kicked at it with my foot and it left.
"I'm not a seal. It's looking for a seal. We're not their food."
He was rushed to safety by two witnesses who saw the attack unfold.
Bruemmer was then transported to Natividad Medical Center, where he had a two-hour operation and was given 28 units of blood.
In June, a seven-foot shark was spotted swimming off Pismo Beach in California.
Tomas Butterfield, 42, was killed by a great white shark on Christmas Eve 2021 when surfing off the Californian coastline.
He had been visiting his mom when the fatal attack happened off the coast of Morro Strand State beach.
Butterfield was bitten in the head, chest, and shoulder.
A coroner's report revealed that he died from complications of multiple penetrating blunt force traumatic injuries.
Butterfield suffered a fractured skull, crushed ribs, and other injuries.
Pathologist Dr. Joyce Carter said he died within minutes of the attack.
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DNA from the autopsy confirmed his injuries were from a great white shark.
Butterfield’s uncle Grant told the in January: “It's a terrible loss, at 42, with him getting his stuff together and starting to make something of himself."
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