Great white shark experts coming to Santa Barbara to reveal the most current research

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County waters, mainly in and around Carpinteria, have become very comfortable for great white sharks in recent years.

Experts including Dr. Chris Lowe from Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach have been closely watching the shark patterns in Southern California including in the local waters. He has new information to help the public understand more about the sharks and why they are here.

It's based in part through research, tracking patterns and new technology.

Saturday night the latest research and videos will be presented at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum as part of a fundraiser. Tickets are $20.00. The event is called "A Great Night of Great Whites" It begins at 7 p.m.

Videographers at the event will include Carlos Gauna of Malibu and Harry Rabin of Montecito and the founder of Reef Guardians. They have shark video that is used in documentaries and national news stories on a regular basis. Both are familiar with shark behavior in the local waters, and also when and why the population changes.

Rabin says, "it's amazing that they are here and we have been able to study them since 2015." He says there will be "great footage  that will be in an upcoming  Disney Nature, Net GEO  those type of shows. They are also going to see a cartoon a shark cartoon that actually mimics  what is going in the research industry."

Rabin says the patterns have changed, "in certain years, we have had an incredible amount of great white juveniles. We counted 61 in one year. 35 in another.  40 in another. Then all of a sudden they all disappeared."

While you may be curious when you have a sighting, as we've seen with paddle boarders, don't go pursuing the sharks, because they could be feeding.

Rabin says, "and they see you as competition for their prey  and that's the only time we see some close interaction but, seven years  of monitoring them and we have had  one toe bite (at Padaro Beach) and that woman was swimming over a bunch of bat rays ."

When it comes to food sources, "some of their prey actually involves smaller sharks  leopard sharks, hound sharks and there are tons of them here in Santa Barbara coming out of the Salt Marsh along with bat rays," said Rabin.
Shark Lab is educating the public year round and especially kids  during the summer in the pop up Shark Shacks using student researchers and hands on items to demonstrate include shark jaws. "I think that is fantastic that they are doing that,  we need to continue to educate our younger people," said Rabin.

 At the Saturday event, unique equipment will be shown that's used to find and follow sharks and also tag them to see where they are traveling.  Rabin said, "which is pretty amazing to see. The special drones and sonar and all kinds of camera gear it's pretty fascinating stuff to see."

Rabin said, "some of this footage and behavior (that will be presented), people have never seen before. This is going to be a first."

For tickets go to: Reef Guardians