March 4 – 10 2018
THE SEVENGILL SHARKS ARE BACK!! It’s been a few years since I’ve had sevengill encounters. Blame it on El Nino, warmer waters, loss of kelp, etc I guess. But I was thrilled to hear the reports recently that they had been spotted again in good numbers! I hear they can be seen randomly year round, however the spring always seems to have the most encounters.
Broadnose sevengills are believed to be related to sharks from 300 million years ago. Their skeletons resemble ones from the earliest sharks. And they do have an awesome prehistoric look to them! The sevengill gets its name from the 7 gills it has. Most sharks have 5. These beauties move slowly and gracefully through the water and are such a cool encounter if you are lucky enough to find them! They are thought to be social creatures, so chances are if you find one in the water, others are not far away!
The encounters I had last week were all at the Marine Room in La Jolla, California. However, there were multiple sightings reported in La Jolla Cove as well. You can see these gorgeous creatures snorkeling or scuba diving, but please dive and view responsibly, these are still wild sharks with teeth that can anchor into large prey. And please don’t touch the sharks. Just think how mad you’d be if a stranger came into your home and petted you… 😀
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