Avila Beach, Calif.
Authorities imposed a swimming ban at a popular California beach after a 15-foot great white shark killed a swimmer last week. Deborah Franzman, 50, was on a morning swim near a group of seals when the shark bit her leg. Rescuers pulled her ashore, but she bled to death. Paul Schiro closed his kayak rental stand, saying seals and sea lions congregating nearby had turned Avila Beach into a “shark smorgasbord.” Great whites sometimes mistake humans for marine mammals, their natural prey. Still, one expert said, “the risk they present to us is exceedingly, infinitesimally low.” Of 93 shark attacks off the state’s coast in the last 53 years, 10 were fatal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
How the woke right gained power in the USUnder the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
