VIDEO: Great White Shark Spotted Off San Clemente Coast

Great White Shark Surfaces Off San Clemente Coast

Passengers on board the Dana Pride out of Dana Wharf Whale Watch got quite a surprise on Tuesday as the whale watchers on board not only saw a blue whale mother and calf, but also saw a great white shark.

Captain Todd Mansur told Pete Thomas Outdoors that at first he thought it was a swordfish or marlin.

"As soon as I saw what it was I got on the P.A. and announced that we have a great white shark." The shark was spotted just 1.5 miles off the San Clemente coast. 

In 25 years, Mansur said he has seen only eight great whites in our local waters. The shark at one point even surfed the bow wake just like a dolphin.

"It's very rare to see them, and even rarer to see one finning," he said. "They hardly ever put their fins up. This thing was coming right at us at [a position of] 12 o'clock. It was like a game of chicken,” Mansur told Pete Thomas Outdoors.

San Diego Tuna

It's been very spotty with a few bluefin and yellowfin tuna but not much more. The albacore season has been a complete bust with no sign of the longfin tuna anywhere. The San Diego fleet is still working hard to find the fish.

Surf fishing

Good surf fishing is still being reported from the Mexican border to the Channel Islands for barred perch, corbina, a few halibut, along with some other species like leopard sharks and guitarfish.

“This has been an incredible year for surf fishing,” said Shawn Morgon from Bigfish Tackle in Seal Beach. “Anglers have been catching a variety of fish all year long. Sand crabs have been excellent bait and using light line, like 6-lb test has also given anglers an edge."

Laguna Niguel Lake

Conditions are still excellent fishing for catfish, along with some bass and lots of panfish. Good catfish bite in the early morning and late afternoon/evening. There is a five fish limits for most fisherman taking advantage of our night fishing on Friday and Saturday nights. The best baits have been mackerel, shrimp and night crawlers. The most productive areas have been in deep water by the dam, the big island and the launch ramp.

Local Bite Remains Strong

The calico and sand bass bite along the coast remains good. The kelp lines off Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, and Palos Verdes have been excellent for calico bass. There has also been the occasional white seabass, yellowtail and halibut too.

Twilight fishing from 6 pm to 12 midnight has been exceptional for sand bass. Boats from Redondo to Oceanside continue to do quite well on most nights with 10-fish limits not uncommon.

There has still been some fair barracuda fishing up and down the coast as well.

Island Fishing

There has been the occasional hit for white seabass along with a few yellowtail and good calico bass fishing. San Clemente Island has been best for white seabass with Catalina Island still providing great ¾ day action for calico bass and barracuda along with some yellowtail.

If the surface fish do not cooperate, the rockfish bite has been very consistent.