Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Great White Sharks Feeding on Sea Lions at Santa Barbara Island

santa-barbara-island-sharks.jpg
via Google Maps

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.

Despite its name, Santa Barbara Island is located off the coast of Los Angeles. At one square mile, it's the smallest of the eight Channel Islands and is one of five included in the National Park. Today, rangers are warning island visitors to swim at their own risk. "Great white sharks have been observed in this area attacking California sea lions," said a notice released today. "There have been no shark attacks on humans. There have been three attacks on California sea lions by great white sharks in the past few months including one at the Santa Barbara Island Landing Cove and two offshore of Cat Canyon on the southeast side of the island. The public is duly warned to enter the water at their own risk at Santa Barbara Island due to a potential safety hazard effective June 30, 2010 and until further notice."

While anyone can go to the island on their own, there are only eight official trips scheduled to the island this year.

Previously: Sea Lions eaten by Killer Whales off Orange County's coast

At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.

Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.

This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.

That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Chip in now to fund your local journalism

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right