California Kayakers Report Separate Shark Encounters

A fisherman kayaking about a mile off Leffingwell Landing near Cambria was thrown into the water around 9:30 a.m. Monday when an object struck the underside of his vessel. He climbed back in and tried to paddle ashore, but punctures flooded the kayak and he swam the rest of the way, uninjured. Cambria Fire Department crews reached him after he made land and recovered the kayak, fishing gear and belongings by boat. Dr. Chris Lowe of CSU Long Beach's Shark Lab examined photos of the damage and said it was reasonable to assume the kayak had been struck by a shark, the fire department reported. The same account left shark involvement unconfirmed. Separately, a great white swam alongside David Slavich's kayak off Half Moon Bay without attacking; Slavich was unharmed. The Cambria stretch has prior kayak contacts, including Joey Nocchi in May 2012 near Leffingwell Landing and David Zamora in 2019 about two miles offshore when a roughly 10-foot great white bit his kayak; both were uninjured. California has recorded 233 shark incidents since 1950, 36 involving kayaks or canoes, per state figures updated January 2026.