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Surf Beach (Vandenburg)

Jonahbrah

Jonahbrah

Nep status
Sep 20, 2019
713
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Surf Beach is one of the most ominous stretches of sand I've ever paddled out at. In the late 90's/ early 2000's I would frequent there often. Ultra-consistant offshore falls. 30 degree air temp. 50 degree water. Not a soul in site. Fun almondy barrels. Unpredictable shape. A lot of exposure to swell. Rewarded solitude from the south.

Then the first shark attack happened. All of a sudden those strange feelings started making sense. Then another shark attack happened. Doing the math, based upon non-existent crowds most of the time, the amount sessions I had there, I was reasonably lucky.

It makes me wonder. The government, with all its weather modification and various types of technology, do you think they have genetically modified sharks patrolling Vandenburg? Have sharks been weaponized? The ratio for the amount of attacks verses the amount of people who surf there annually never seemed right.

That combined with stories of friends hiking in to surf there and having crazy panic attacks has got me pondering. Something strange is going on at Vandenberg for sure.
 
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Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
6,910
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Jonahbrah said:
It makes me wonder. The government, with all its weather modification and various types of technology, do you think they have genetically modified sharks patrolling Vandenburg? Have sharks been weaponized? The ratio for the amount of attacks verses the amount of people who surf there annually never seemed right.

That combined with stories of friends hiking in to surf there and having crazy panic attacks has got me pondering. Something strange is going on at Vandenberg for sure.
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The first part of your post I agree with, lots of us did the same. The second part, no. There is a giant seal rookery to the north and south of the spot, and a freshwater outlet/estuary. Also, a lot of people think it was the same shark for all three attacks. I lean towards that belief.
 
S

SteveT

Phil Edwards status
Apr 11, 2005
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rowjimmytour said:
30 degree air and 50 degree h20 temps in Fall:ROFLMAO:
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Actually, not too far off, Lompoc Valley gets cold AF in the fall.
I remember having ice built up on the fins of our boards driving there, pair that with a recent blow and upwelling and the water does get down in the low 50's.
As far as fluffy goes I stopped surfing there back in the 90s. Just too sketch for me.
 
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rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
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SteveT said:
Actually, not too far off, Lompoc Valley gets cold AF in the fall.
I remember having ice built up on the fins of our boards driving there, pair that with a recent blow and upwelling and the water does get down in the low 50's.
As far as fluffy goes I stopped surfing there back in the 90s. Just too sketch for me.
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Upwelling happens during Spring and usually colder water temps then Winter. Fall in this area usually closer to 60 and at the end dips to 55. I surf Jalama enough ice on windsheild possible but not usual in Fall with maybe 6 or so night/morning temps at freeze or below.
 
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Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
6,910
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SteveT said:
As far as fluffy goes I stopped surfing there back in the 90s. Just too sketch for me.
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I don't personally know, or know of anyone at all who continued surfing there after maybe the bodyboarder got attacked. It was a good alternative to tiny J for all those years.
 
Duffy LaCoronilla

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
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I was coming in when that booger boarder that go hit was paddling out.

I stopped surfing there after the 3rd attack.

I do contract work on VAFB. They have some seriously weird sh!t going on out there.

Deep spook sh!t.

It was 29 degrees on the beach there this last Thursday morning.
 
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~rwright~

~rwright~

Michael Peterson status
Apr 14, 2015
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Los Angeles~California!
^^^^^
Hey Duffy,
I had read that Lucas' friend mention the water was as blue as blue getz that morning,
told of this to Ralph Collier of the Shark Research Committee, who helped investigate the attack,
he said it was very murky....
Your input?
Thanks, rw
 
~rwright~

~rwright~

Michael Peterson status
Apr 14, 2015
2,541
967
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Los Angeles~California!
Here's some of that story:
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — The victim of a fatal shark attack at a beach northwest of Los Angeles cried out to his friend for help as the shark flashed out of the water with no warning, bit into his leg and pulled him under in a tide of red blood, the friend said Friday.

Matthew Garcia was two feet away from his friend, 19-year-old Lucas Ransom, when the shark attacked with no warning, he said. The whole attack lasted seconds while the pair were bodyboarding about 100 yards from the shore.

"When the shark hit him, he just said, 'Help me, dude!' He knew what was going on," Garcia told the AP. "It was really fast. You just saw a red wave and this water is blue — as blue as it could ever be — and it was just red, the whole wave. Even the barrel was red."

As huge waves broke over his head, Garcia tried to find his friend in the surf but couldn't. He decided to get help, but turned around once more as he was swimming to shore and saw Ransom's red body board pop up. Garcia swam to his friend and did chest compressions as he brought him to shore.

Ransom already appeared dead and his leg was mauled, he said.


"He was just floating in the water. I flipped him over on his back and underhooked his arms. I was pressing on his chest and doing rescue breathing in the water," Garcia said. "He was just kind of lifeless, just dead weight."
 
Duffy LaCoronilla

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
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~rwright~ said:
^^^^^
Hey Duffy,
I had read that Lucas' friend mention the water was as blue as blue getz that morning,
told of this to Ralph Collier of the Shark Research Committee, who helped investigate the attack,
he said it was very murky....
Your input?
Thanks, rw
Click to expand...
‘I couldn’t tell you either way with any certainty.

I can tell you that I would not describe it as “very murky”.

My recollection is that it was overcast. If so, the water would have been more of a greyish hue. The water at Surf Beach is almost never clear (good visibility).
 
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Duffy LaCoronilla

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
39,256
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~rwright~ said:
Here's some of that story:
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — The victim of a fatal shark attack at a beach northwest of Los Angeles cried out to his friend for help as the shark flashed out of the water with no warning, bit into his leg and pulled him under in a tide of red blood, the friend said Friday.

Matthew Garcia was two feet away from his friend, 19-year-old Lucas Ransom, when the shark attacked with no warning, he said. The whole attack lasted seconds while the pair were bodyboarding about 100 yards from the shore.

"When the shark hit him, he just said, 'Help me, dude!' He knew what was going on," Garcia told the AP. "It was really fast. You just saw a red wave and this water is blue — as blue as it could ever be — and it was just red, the whole wave. Even the barrel was red."

As huge waves broke over his head, Garcia tried to find his friend in the surf but couldn't. He decided to get help, but turned around once more as he was swimming to shore and saw Ransom's red body board pop up. Garcia swam to his friend and did chest compressions as he brought him to shore.

Ransom already appeared dead and his leg was mauled, he said.


"He was just floating in the water. I flipped him over on his back and underhooked his arms. I was pressing on his chest and doing rescue breathing in the water," Garcia said. "He was just kind of lifeless, just dead weight."
Click to expand...
This story reads like it was embellished quite a bit by the writer.

Look at all the uses of the word “red” in it. Reads better when you make the water ‘as blue as it ever could be.”
 
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Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
6,910
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Duffy LaCoronilla said:
It still gets surfed.
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I'm sure it does, and the general thought by most people is likely - anyone who does can have it. It's got a nasty reputation, sort of like the Reunion Island of CA. I know of 2 people who didn't get "attacked" but had to confront them. One was on a SUP and another had to pin his shortboard between him and a big whitey. I wouldn't doubt there are more unreported encounters.
 
R

r32

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 1, 2005
18,149
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Cambria
They still use the old dock out there off Tow Road. This corner always creeped me out a bit. Deep water cove right next to the shallow banks just the north and south.



 
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stringcheese

stringcheese

Miki Dora status
Jun 21, 2017
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Might be good after the rain clears up...anyone want to paddle out? Safety in numbers!
 
JBerry

JBerry

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 8, 2017
1,602
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Take a chance! Walk far down the beach, the bars are way better!

Plus, when you get hit and bleed out, there will be no one around to hear your screams, and you won't bother the snowy plover.

Plus plus, your car will get trashed at the lot. It's not called Lompton for nothing!!
 
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Kinakeet

Kinakeet

Gerry Lopez status
Apr 11, 2004
1,223
2
38
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Surfed surfers beach with my sons 15 years ago, what an asshole Dad I was taking them there. My friends wife yelled at him for taking us to "Whiteys Kitchen" sketchy as hell.
 
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Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
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The place with an actual name Whitey's Kitchen is immediately north of Point Conception. I've never had the vibe at Jalama and want to dive the kelp when it gets thick again. Pt Sal creeps me out more than any of those spots.
 
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