Shark Attack #1

The first of the two recent attacks was on June 28, and involved a 20 year old Galveston surfer named Chad Rogers, who was surfing near 8 Mile Road. This is my favorite surf spot in Galveston… the waves are better at the Flagship, for sure, but this place offers complete privacy and some fun waves, especially if you want to cruise along the top of the water on a longboard. The coast there is lined with beach houses that have their front porches facing the water, along with many windows; it’s easy to feel like you’re the star of a show you’re putting on, as there are likely several people watching you surf from their living room.

A guy (I forgot his name) who was in “Endless Summer 2,” who lives near Galveston (Keema, I think), told me that sharks like to feed between the first and second sand bars, which is about 60 yards out. The second sand bar is the very best place to surf out there. You can stand in knee-high water, while water just 5 feet away is 20+ feet deep and dumps some major head-high waves on you, making for an easy take off and a long, powerful ride.

Chad was just past the second sand bar when he spotted the fin of a 5 foot bull shark, which bit his foot almost right away. Chad kicked the shark and then paddled over it to get back to shore. Having escaped a shark myself, I’m pretty sure that the paddle back to the beach was hectic and very scary. Chad’s foot required 20 stitches.

A side note about this shark attack is that it wasn’t “leaked” to the press until after July 4th. I guess that was smart for businesses, but it was very inconsiderate of the many tourists visiting Galveston for Independence Day. Tons of adults and children were in the water with hungry sharks. As for why they’re suddenly so hungry – we’ll get to that soon.

Shark Attack #2

The second recent attack was just yesterday, July 16th. A fisherman named Charlie Gauzer was fishing in the same area, near 8 Mile Road, when a shark approached his boat and bit him on the leg while he stood in 3 feet of water. He said he “started to feel pain. I looked down and [there was] blood coming out of my leg.” If the shark didn’t like the taste of his leg, this is the point where it would have let go, but this shark continued to bite down even harder on Charlie’s leg as he tried to escape.

Charlie did end up escaping, and lived to talk about the attack. The shark missed his artery, which could have led to him bleeding to death, but did sever his Achilles tendon. The shark was really close to having a distasteful but satisfying lunch.

Why They’re Attacking

The biologists maybe right: maybe sharks don’t like the taste of human flesh. Maybe they’re even confused about what they’re biting down on, with Galveston’s brown water, and maybe the water is even darker now due to the recent oil spill. But if I take a bite of something that doesn’t taste good, and I continue to bite down even after tasting it, it means I’m really hungry and I don’t care about the taste as much as I care about filling my hungry stomach.

The oil rig may be capped now, but the massive death toll it took on the Gulf’s marine wildlife is going to plague us for some time. Sharks are more likely to attack now because they have less food to eat. Thousands of fish and other marine life are dead, leaving sharks wondering where their next meal is going to come from.

The bottom line is that there comes a point when the taste of food doesn’t really matter any more. If you take all my food away, I might bite you, too.

Discussion

If you have strong feelings about the oil spill or about these shark attacks, the comments are a great place to share them. I’ll personally reply to you.

Recently the City of Corpus has dredged Packery Channel. In doing so the sand has built up to the top of the seawall. You cannot drive a vehicle on it. I cannot get any where with the city to resolve this matter; perhaps you can help.

To be honest, I don’t know anything about how to clean the beaches, other than simply walking along and picking up junk left behind. A severed arm from some little girl’s doll, a shoe, beer bottles, a trick-or-treat pumpkin container, the usual.

It seems to me, and I might be completely wrong, that sand would end up looking like it does in these pictures due to wind, not due to tractors cleaning the beach. According to the reader, it’s due to the tractors, and I do know that it would be very annoying to not be able to drive on the beach.

One of my favorite things about Texas beaches is how rural they are and the fact that we can drive all over them. It’s really nice to go for an hour long cruise along the beach, from Bob Hall down to the sticks. It’s just you, water, and sand. If you get stuck it’s every man for himself. But the freedom you feel is great, especially if you pick a secluded spot to swim, surf, or fish. I’ve thrown all day parties out there and not seen a car the whole day (even pulled an old couch from the dunes to crash on, haha).

If you’re dying to take a drive on the beach and if you think the city needs to speed up the clearing of this sand, let them know about it. Tell them, “This won’t bring in tourist dollars.”

This book is full of photos of the first surf shops, first surfers, first everything. For example, check out this picture of Benjamin’s from when it was still located on Padre Island in 1979 (click it to make it larger).

Here’s an old photo (look at how the people are dressed at the beach) of Bob Hall Pier in 1962.

This picture reminded me that people have been surfing at my favorite spots since before I was even born. It’s interesting to see what was going on at these spots before I was ever even thought of. Surf spots become “ours,” like we own them because we’re the ones who are out there surfing them all the time, but they were owned long ago; we’re not the first or the last.

Million Dollars Surf Spot in Corpus Christi, 1974:

This book is a must-have if you surf in Corpus Christi or Port Aransas because it’s the story of our life style. You’ll better understand the culture you’re dedicating your life to. Pretty much every page of this book has a photo that says a million things about the history of Texas surf. There are also stories about surfers, surf shops, and storms. There are a lot of pictures of storm surfing, competitions, board makers, you name it. I found a picture of a guy in there that I’ve been surfing along side for several years, and found out he’s been a major player in the South Texas surf culture for his whole life. Before I opened the book, he was just another guy in the lineup.

This book is sure to open your eyes to the fact that surfing in Texas is greater than our lives at the beach. It’s good to feel the connection between us and the past, and to realize we are now part of the story that future surfers will be looking back on.

The book comes out Monday, May 24 and can be purchased at the Texas Surf Museum or by going to this website: www.arcadiapublishing.com.

Here’s a flier that will tell you even more. Please click on the picture to make it large enough to easily read it. And if you get the book, come back here and put a comment telling everyone what pictures and stories you found in it that really interested you.

The beach is very long, and has plenty of miles of driving, perfect if you like to drive the beach or want to find a secluded spot to camp out.

Port Aransas is about 45 minutes from Corpus Christi, and a lot more friendly (in my opinion). Corpus Christi is a city, and Port A is a small town, smaller than most. There are plenty of places to stay, including hotels and bed & breakfasts. The Dunes Condos are right on the beach; in fact, the cam view above is provided by The Dunes and the cam is on their building; the perfect place to stay for surfing.

There are also lots of places to eat, and several surf shops where you can buy or rent a surfboard, and get your sunblock and surf wax. For a surf trip, it’s perfect because of the island atmosphere, great waves, and proximity to the city (the city being Corpus Christi). In addition to surfing, there are lots of things to go and do. Here’s a calendar of events you’ll find very useful: Calendar of Events

Here’s a blog dedicated to Port Aransas.  It has a lot of information and pictures that you’ll enjoy if you’re considering a trip there. Let’s Go to Port Aransas

This page provides lots of facts about the place. Port A Facts

Map and Directions: This website will help you navigate to Port Aransas; it also has a lot of information on local businesses you’ll want to take a look at to help plan your trip. Map to Port Aransas

Questions?

Post your questions about Port Aransas right here, just scroll down. We’ll help you get them answered so your trip goes smoothly. You don’t have to sign up on Texas Surfers to post a question; you can simply sign in with your Facebook account.

Port Aransas People:

Got a business in Port Aransas? Help tourists find you by putting a free comment below, on this web page. They need to know where to buy surf wax, what hotel to stay in, where to eat, where to buy souvenirs, and more. Help them and help yourself, free of charge, by simply posting a comment right now on this web page. They’ll be glad you did!

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