The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks (34 page)

DeJung’s great white encounter was the year’s fourth in the Red Triangle. And not everyone had met up with a dinky shark. Near Fort Bragg, an abalone diver named Randy Fry was decapitated by a white shark estimated to measure eighteen feet. It severed Fry’s head, neck, and upper shoulders in one sudden and massive swoop as the diver swam near the surface in a cove. The victim, who was fifty years old and the west coast regional director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, had confided to his friends about a premonition that he would die in the jaws of a great white shark. Two of them were with him at the time of the attack. “When I saw the pool of blood spread across the surface of the water, I knew Randy was gone,” his diving partner recounted. “We were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Great white sharks arrive when you least expect them, and vanish the moment you think you’ve got them figured out. They don’t come into anyone’s life in a forgettable way, and once they grab your imagination they don’t let go. I was no exception. The professional fallout for Peter, the official censure, the loss of the yacht: None of this was easy to justify in the aftermath. Several of Peter’s colleagues speculated that only great white sharks could provoke such irrational behavior; that certainly, no one had ever come a cropper in attempts to study warblers, say, or harbor seals—as though somehow the animal was at fault. But that wasn’t the case. It was purely human behavior that made the wheels come off. Somewhere along the line, right at the beginning I think, I became obsessed with this story. That single-mindedness colored everything I did, and ended up extracting a heavy toll.

And yet, watching the baby white shark in the tank, gliding past the crowds and seeming to revel in her star attraction status, I was awed one more time by how many dimensions there were to these creatures, and how haunting their presence. Exiting the Outer Bay in search of breakfast, we passed a ten-foot-long mural of a great white shark that was thronged with children, all clamoring to have their photos taken in front of it. Across the room, white shark stuffed toys and key chains and books and fridge magnets were being sold from a kiosk. The animal had charisma, all right.

As we threaded our way through the tourists on Cannery Row, the bay was beginning to stir behind us. Car doors slammed; surfboards were lifted down from roof racks. (I had one of my own now, a seven-and-a-half-footer decorated with vibrant fuschia swirls.) All around us, people headed to the ocean.

And eighty-five miles to the northwest, a perfect eight-foot swell was building in Mirounga Bay.

One book in particular was invaluable:
The Farallon Islands, Sentinels of the Golden Gate
(San Francisco, CA: Scottwall Associates, 1995) by Peter White. Along with being the only volume ever compiled about the islands’ history, it also happens to be meticulously researched and elegantly written. Any reader wishing to delve into the Farallones’ past will find it riveting.

The quote
comes from Steven Powers’s
Tribes of California
(Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1976), p. 182.

The following were also helpful:

Ainley, David G., and Robert J. Bockelheide.
Seabirds of the Farallon Islands
. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990.

Boessenecker, John.
Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantes
. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.

Collier, Ralph S.
Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century: From the Pacific Coast of North America
. Chatsworth, CA: Scientia Publishing, 2003.

Davis, Lisa. “Fallout.”
SF Weekly
, 9 May 2001.

De Santis, Marie.
California Currents: An Exploration of the Ocean’s Pleasures, Mysteries and Dilemmas.
Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1985.

Doughty, Robin W. “San Francisco’s Nineteenth-Century Egg Basket: The Farallons.”
The Geographical Review
, October 1971, 554–72.

Ellis, Richard, and John McCosker.
Great White Shark
. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1991.

Greene, Charles S. “Los Farallones de los Frayles.”
Overland Monthly
, September 1892, 226–46.

Hoover, Mildred Brooke.
The Farallon Islands, California
. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1932.

Hoyt, Erich.
Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea’s “Monsters” and the World They Live In.
Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2001.

Karl, Herman, J. L. Chin, E. Ueber, P. H. Stauffer, J. W. Hendley II. “Beyond the Golden Gate: Oceanography, Geology, Biology, and Environmental Issues in the Gulf of the Farallones.” U.S. Geological Survey circular 1198.

Klimley, A. Peter, and David G. Ainley.
Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias.
San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1996.

McCormick, Harold W., Tom Allen, and William Young.
Shadows in the Sea: The Sharks, Skates and Rays.
New York, NY: Weathervane Books, 1963.

McDavitt, Matthew. Statement for “Sharks: Myth and Mystery” exhibit. Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, 2004.

Martin, R. Aidan.
Field Guide to the Great White Shark.
Vancouver, BC: Reef Quest Centre for Shark Reasearch, Special Publication No. 1, 2003.

Meyers, Ransom A., B. Worm. 2003. “Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities.”
Nature
423:280–83.

Noble, John Wesley. “The Exiles of Howling Island.”
The Saturday Evening Post
, 20 June 1953, 24, 87, 89, 90, 93.

Nordhoff, Charles. “The Farallon Islands.”
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine
, April 1874, 617–25.

Rendon, Jim. “Farallon Feeding Frenzy.”
East Bay Express
, 15 January 2003, 12–19.

Robison, Bruce, and Judith Connor.
The Deep Sea
. Monterey, CA: Monterey Bay Aquarium Press, 1999.

Safina, Carl.
Song for the Blue Ocean.
New York, NY: Henry Holt, 1998.

Wilson, Edward O.
Biophilia.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984.

Wilson, Edward O.
The Diversity of Life
. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.

Scientific Publications on White Sharks Using Farallon Data

Ainley, D. G., C. S. Strong, H. R. Huber, T. J. Lewis, and S. H. Morrell. 1981. “Predation by sharks on pinnipeds at the Farallon Islands.”
Fishery Bulletin
78:941–45.

Ainley, D. G., R. P. Henderson, H. R. Huber, R. J. Boekelheide, S. G. Allen, and T. L. McElroy. 1985. “Dynamics of white shark/pinniped interactions in the Gulf of the Farallones.”
Memoirs of the Southern California Academy of Sciences
9:109–22.

Anderson, S. D., and K. J. Goldman. 1996. “Photographic evidence of white shark movements in California waters.”
California Fish and Game
82:182–86.

Anderson, S. D., R. P. Henderson, and P. Pyle. 1996. “Observations of white shark reactions to unbaited decoys.” Pp. 223–28 in Klimley and Ainley (eds.),
The Ecology and Behavior of the White Shark
. Academic Press, San Diego, 1996.

Anderson, S. D., A. P. Klimley, P. Pyle, and R. P. Henderson. 1996. “Tidal height and white shark predation at the South Farallon Islands, California.” Pp. 275–80 in Klimley and Ainley.

Anderson, S. D., and P. Pyle. In press. “A temporal, sex-specific occurrence pattern among white sharks (
Carcharodon carcharias
) at the South Farallon Islands, California.”
California Fish and Game
.

Boustany, A., S. F. Davis, P. Pyle, S. D. Anderson, B. J. LeBoeuf, and B. A. Block. 2002. “Expanded niche for great white sharks.”
Nature
415:35–36.

Goldman, K. J., and S. D. Anderson. 1999. “Space utilization and swimming depth of white sharks,
Carcharodon carcharias
, at the South Farallon Islands, California.”
Environmental Biology of Fishes
56:351–64.

Goldman, K. J., S. D. Anderson, J. E. McCosker, and A. P. Klimley. 1996. “Temperature, swimming depth, and movements of a white shark at the South Farallon Islands, California.” Pp. 111–20 in Klimley and Ainley.

Heneman, B. and M. Glazer. 1996. “More rare than dangerous: A case study of white shark conservation in California.” Pp. 481–91 in Klimley and Ainley.

Klimley, A. P. 1985. “The areal distribution and autoecology of the white shark,
Carcharodon carcharias
, off the west coast of North America.”
Memoirs of the Southern California Academy of Sciences
9:15–40.

Klimley, A. P. and S. D. Anderson. 1996. “Residency patterns of white sharks at the South Farallon Islands, California.” Pp. 365–74 in Klimley and Ainley.

Klimley, A. P., S. D. Anderson, P. Pyle, and R. P. Henderson. 1992. “Spatiotemporal patterns of white shark (
Carcharodon carcharias
) predation at the South Farallon Islands, California.”
Copeia
1992:680–90.

Klimley, A. P., P. Pyle, and S. D. Anderson. 1996. “The behavior of white sharks and their pinniped prey during predatory attacks.” Pp. 175–92 in Klimley and Ainley.

Klimley, A. P., P. Pyle, and S. D. Anderson. 1996. “Tail slap and breach: Agonistic displays among white sharks?” Pp. 241–56 in Klimley and Ainley.

Lea, R. N. and J. E. McCosker. 1996. “White shark attacks in the Eastern Pacific Ocean: An update and analysis.” Pp. 419–34 in Klimley and Ainley.

Long, D. J., K. Hanni, P. Pyle, J. Roletto, R. E. Jones, and R. Bandar. 1996. “Geographical and temporal patterns of white shark predation on four pinniped species along central California, 1970–1992.” Pp. 263–74 in Klimley and Ainley.

Pyle, P. 1992. “Sympathy for a predator: White shark studies at Southeast Farallon.”
Observer
93:1–11.

Pyle, P., S. D. Anderson, and D. G. Ainley. 1996. “Trends in white shark predation at the South Farallon Islands, 1968–1993.” Pp. 375–80 in Klimley and Ainley.

Pyle, P., S. D. Anderson, A. P. Klimley, R. P. Henderson, and D. G. Ainley. 1996. “Environmental factors affecting the occurrence and behavior of white sharks at the South Farallon Islands, California.” Pp. 281–92 in Klimley and Ainley.

Pyle, P., M. J. Schramm, C. Keiper, and S. D. Anderson. 1999. “Predation on a white shark by a killer whale and a possible case of competitive exclusion.”
Marine Mammal Science
15:563–68.

Websites

For more information on the Farallones and surrounding waters, readers should contact The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association:
www.farallones.org

A fantastic resource for those interested in shark biology, behavior, and conservation: ReefQuest Center for Shark Research:
www.elasmo-research.org

Additional websites of potential interest:

TOPP (Tagging of Pacific Pelagics):
www.toppcensus.org

Census of Marine Life:
www.coml.org

Conservation International:
www.conservationinternational.org

Devil’s Teeth
, a documentary about diving in the Farallones, directed by Roger Teich:
www.devilsteeth.com

Environmental Defense:
www.environmentaldefense.org

Farallon Island National Wildlife Refuge:
http/library.fws.gov/refuges/index

Monterey Bay Aquarium:
www.mbayaq.org

Oceana:
www.oceana.org

Pew Oceans Commission:
www.pewoceans.org

Point Reyes Bird Observatory:
www.prbo.org

Surfrider:
www.surfrider.com

Wildlife Conservation Society:
www.wcs.org

The Great White Shark
(1995), the BBC video documentary directed by Paul Atkins that inspired this book, is available on VHS and can be ordered from
Amazon.com
.

Words can’t express my gratitude to Peter Pyle. His extraordinary talent, warmth, great humor, and devotion to the Farallones made this project a joy, even when it veered into rough waters. I am also deeply indebted to Scot Anderson and Ron Elliott, and to Charlie Merrill, the founder of the Farallon Patrol, whose wisdom and friendship are a gift I’ll always cherish, and Paul Atkins, whose vision of these islands still haunts my dreams. Further thanks are owed to the following people, who helped me with island reporting and access: Mick Mengioz, Ed Ueber, Brian Guiles, Tony Badger, Margaret Badger, John Boyes, Mike McHenry, Peter DeJung, Pete Warzybok, Russ Bradley, Jen Greenwood, Meghan Riley, Melinda Nakagawa, Kristie Nelson, Elias Elias, and Josiah Clark. Greg Cailliet, William Gilly, Roger Hanlon, Bruce Mate, David K. Matila, David Festa, and Kathleen Goldstein generously answered research queries. I am especially grateful to biologist R. Aidan Martin, whose love of sharks is surpassed only by his generosity when it comes to sharing his knowledge of them; and to Linda Hunter, the director of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association for her vision and support. And I certainly want to thank Paul Amaral of Channel Watch Marine Inc. for finding
Just Imagine
. The retrieval, conducted at night, in stormy seas, was no small feat of nautical expertise and bravery.

Kevin Weng of the Block Lab at Hopkins Marine Station provided invaluable information about white shark conservation, populations, and the inner workings of satellite pop-up tags (and, best of all, taught me to spearfish). Next door, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Ken Peterson, John O’Sullivan, and Randy Kochevar were endlessly helpful. Barbara Block deserves everyone’s thanks for her brilliant work to prevent the oceans from being reduced to guppy tanks, but she especially has mine.

Over the years, many Farallon scientists whom I’ve never met have built a legacy: David Ainley, Bill Sydeman, Jim Lewis, Phil Henderson, Bob Boekelheide, Jerry Nussbaum, Burr Heneman, Harriet Huber, Larry Spear, Teya Penniman, Harry Carter, Craig Strong, Stephen Morrell, and Malcolm Coulter are among the names that appear over and over in the logbooks, and in countless papers furthering the study of the islands and their wildlife. Important white shark research was conducted at the Farallones by A. Peter Klimley, Ken Goldman, John McCosker, Scott Davis, and Andre Boustany. Too many interns to name have passed through the Jane Fonda Bedroom, but I wish I could acknowledge them all.

My intention in writing this book was simple: to do justice to a story that captivated me, the story of an unknown place, and the animals and people who were a part of it. Unfortunately, the reporting process turned out to be anything but simple, and some people were angered by my presence at the Farallones. I sincerely regret this. I greatly admire everyone whose job it is to protect and study the islands, and I never set out to jeopardize any part of their work. In the end, I hope I’ve made clear how extraordinary the stewardship of the Farallones has been in the hands of Joelle Buffa at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with Ellie Cohen and Bill Sydeman of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory.

I have the great fortune to work for Isolde Motley, the corporate editor of Time Inc. She was the first person with whom I discussed this story and the first person to green-light it. Her support, guidance, and friendship went beyond what I could have hoped for. At Time Inc. I also owe thanks to Norman Pearlstine, John Huey, and Ann Moore, as well as Steve Koepp and Dan Goodgame for providing the assignment that dispatched me to the islands for the first time, Ned Desmond for toughening me up, Dan Okrent and Dick Stolley for helping me with just about everything, and John Squires, Mark Ford, Martha Nelson, Chris Hunt, Sid Evans, David Petzal, Rick Tetzeli, Rik Kirkland Eric Pooley, Jodi Kahn, Sheila Marmon, Claudette Hutchinson, Milt Williams, and Marcie Jacob. Yet more thanks to Janet Chan, Jim Aley, Mark Adams, Jason Adams, and Mark Golin for razor-sharp humor, sushi lunches, great music, and a steady supply of top shelf liquor. Proper gratitude expressed to my Time Inc. colleagues would fill an entire book in itself.

Terry McDonell, Tim Carvell, Laura Hohnhold, and David Granger read early versions of the manuscript and offered superb insights, as usual. Mark Bryant and John Tayman produced years of elegant, irreverent work that both taught and inspired. Sara Corbett, Mike Paterniti, and Rick Reilly provided insight, encouragement, late-night phone calls, and constant examples of what great writing is supposed to read like.

Martha Corcoran was pivotal to both the book’s beginning and its end stages. Gwen Kilvert conducted meticulous research with her typical cool. Katharine Cluverius at ICM and George Hodgman and Sam Douglas at Holt were indispensable readers. La Mura Boelling gave me sage counsel, as always. Mike Casey continued to scare the muskies away.

Writing a book, I discovered, requires asking your friends to go to extraordinary lengths to help you, even as you neglect them. Jenny Doll, Sharon Ludtke, Cathy Cook, Clare Hertel, Deanna Brown, Dean Heistad, Tanya Schubring, Paula Romano, Pam Lazzarotto, Angela Matusik, David Lynch, Kristin Gary, Aroni Reyes, Ann Jackson, Harry Apostolides, Stephen Sumner, and the incomparable Dottie Starr: I love you. Thanks.

And I can’t even begin to thank Jennifer Barth, Henry Holt’s editor in chief, whose touch is on every page of this volume, and John Sterling, Holt’s president, for his deep understanding of this story. I’m saving my biggest thanks for last, though, for my agent, Sloan Harris, who has been there every step of the way, dispensing perfect advice and occasionally talking me down from the ledge. I think I wrote this book in part so that I’d get to talk to him more.

On October 12, 2004, white sharks were listed on Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna), a global agreement intended to stave off the extirpation of species. This is a step in the right direction. Given white sharks’ newly discovered migratory habits, it is clear that local protection alone is not enough: The white sharks that remain are at large in the world’s oceans, not conveniently corralled in a few discrete locations. Their mating and pupping grounds remain unknown, they reproduce slowly and produce few offspring, and without strictly enforced, wide-ranging controls on hunting and trade, they really don’t stand a chance.

Simple logic dictates that the ocean’s resources need to be managed sustainably by international law. To date, this emphatically has not happened. The aquatic environment is being altered radically before we’ve even begun to understand it, an insane game of brinksmanship with potentially catastrophic results. And even as $10 billion is allocated for interplanetary exploration, ocean conservationists—monitoring 71 percent of the Earth—struggle for funding. Meanwhile, commercial fishing remains a zero-sum game, habitats are being destroyed, species lost forever.

As for the Farallon great whites, they may have adapted to everything that’s been thrown at them for the past 11 million years, but here’s the question: Will they survive another decade of us?