Great white shark spotted off Leadbetter Cove in Santa Barbara
A 24-hour shark sighting advisory has been posted after Harbor Patrol received a call about a 13-foot Great White shark spotted off of Leadbetter Point from a local fisherman.
At 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, Morgan Castagnola, a long-time commercial fisherman, spotted the shark swimming about six feet below the surface of the water in a nonaggressive manner.
NewsChannel 3 reached out to Mr. Castagnola who said he was on the phone and looking out the window of his boat when he drove right by the shark. The shark was docile and Mr. Castagnola thought nothing of it. He later decided to report the sighting to Harbor Patrol after receiving word about a swim event occurring later that evening.
The Harbor Patrol said that there were no swimmers in the area at the time of the sighting but a shark sighting advisory has been posted at the beach.
The Nite Moves 2017 events are every Wednesday, May 3 – August 30 at Leadbetter Beach Park. Participants can run, swim or join the aquathon as well as enjoy live local music, delicious food & beverage, and a weekly raffle.
