Last week I did something I'd always wanted to try - swim with the Leopard sharks in La Jolla Cove. It is a bit late in the season now, but the water temperatures have been ridiculously warm, 78 degrees at the surface on Thursday, so no wetsuit needed. My friend and I entered the water by the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, where the waves tend to be milder. It is this combination of calm waters and warm surface temperatures in late summer that attract the largely female and pregnant sharks to congregate together in this area. We found ours in the shallows just 3 feet down. Snorkel around and look for a dark form, around 4 feet long sitting on the bottom. They are quite docile and might protect themselves only if you grab their tail or step on them, which would be hard to do on accident.
There used to be an estuary in this area until building caused it to be filled in. The remnant of it is next to the Beach and Tennis club. At some time, it may have been the estuary itself that provided a gestational haven for the sharks. Part of the haven is that there are few males around to try to mate with them again. Male sharks use their teeth to hold onto the female shark’s fin while mating. This is probably why female sharks tend to have thicker skin than males. I think I would hide out, also!
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