Shark??? Nope.
By Clint Perry
@cperry2 (5608)
Newport, Oregon
June 29, 2020 2:03pm CST
When my wife and I do whale watch in the parks talking to visitors, we frequently here someone saying something about the sharks in the water, or in the reeds. And while there may be some nurse sharks, and a few other bottom swimming sharks that live in the area, this is not what most are seeing. Those sharks rarely breach the surface of the ocean.
This may sound strange, but what you see in the picture, and what most visitors to this area think are sharks, is actually the tip of a whale's tale. Grey whales, turn on their sides to eat. (By the way, scientists have noticed that a large percentage of them prefer to turn their right side down.) In shallow water, their tail will often break the surface like you see in the photo.
Because it does resemble a shark fin, this is called "sharking." When a whale is in close to shore, common here in Oregon, this is a frequent thing to see. I have seen one in water shallow enough that it had it's pectoral fin breaking the surface as well.
So, at least here in Oregon, a fin breaking the surface is most likely a whale, except when it's not. In September, we do get great white sharks swimming in our waters. They do not tend to hang out here though.
Photo is mine taken at Boiler Bay State Park.
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7 responses
@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
29 Jun 20
@CarolDM It is a lot of fun, especially when they are close. Here in Oregon, during the months of July August and September, the whales are close in to shore, a mere twenty feet out in some cases. So one doesn't even have to get on a boat to see them up close. At that close you can hear them breathe, but you do not want to be down wind of that spray because it is not a pleasant smell.
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@VivaLaDani13 (60825)
• Perth, Australia
30 Jul 20
@cperry2 I never knew that Grey whales turned to their side to eat. Why is that?
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@VivaLaDani13 (60825)
• Perth, Australia
7 Aug 20
@cperry2 Thank you kindly for explaining. 
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
8 Aug 20
@VivaLaDani13 Another interesting side note is that these whales almost always lay over on their right side to do their feeding. There are a few who will feed exclusively on their left side, however. Are they right "handed? (Right flippered?) No one seems to have an answer for this yet.
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
30 Jul 20
These whales tend to be bottom feeders, they will dig into the sea bottom and gather up sand and the small creatures that live there they filter this through their baleen to get rid of the nonedible stuff. It must be easier to dig into the sand from the side rather than straight on. I find it interesting that while the vast majority of the gray whales do this, the ones in this area (off Oregon's coast) usually do not. The ones here eat a small shrimp that lives near the bottom but mass in huge groups. But I suppose the method of gathering is part of their instinctual habits.
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@DaddyEvil (152154)
• United States
3 Jul 20
Uhm... do you ever stick your feet off the side of a boat and see if the sharks will trim your toenails for you? You never know, they might help you out with that. 
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@DaddyEvil (152154)
• United States
5 Jul 20
@cperry2 I've been on boats but never on the ocean. Just on local lakes. I've never gotten sick from riding in a boat.
Hmmm... you might see if the sharks are interested in giving you a pedicure while you go out in a canoe... I'd think the experience would be highly entertaining to anyone paddling along with you. 
@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
5 Aug 20
you have every right to be afraid of sharks. And, i share that fear. I have only seen sharks in aquariums, never in the ocean. We do have several that live off our shores but I do not get into the water (it is much too cold), so there is no risk of them getting to me. .
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
30 Jun 20
@JudyEv I think that the whole idea of surfing is scary. These folks know sharks that attack humans are present in the ocean, and yet they paddle their boards out into the waves. I watched a documentary on Shark attacks that pointed out that from below the paddling surfers give the same silhouette as a sea lion swimming. I also believe that the surfers are so focused on the next wave coming in they fail to look at what might be right below them. Not sure how much they could see but usually several meters into the water is clear enough to get an idea. Our coast guard regularly flies a helicopter along our beaches, when they see a shark and surfers, they will warn the surfers. The news accounts of that quote the surfers as saying "We had no idea any sharks were in the area."
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
30 Jun 20
When the surfers around here encounter a whale, it usually gives them quite a shock, but to date, there have been no issues with them. We don't really have much in the way of shark attacks like you folks down under do. I am aware of only one, several years ago and while the man lost a part of his surfboard, there were no injuries. (The man no longer surfs though. In fact, I was told that he ever went back into the water.)
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