I saw the shark go past the tip of my board

Name: Steve Jones

Age: 51

From: Chula Vista

Location: Tourmaline Surf Park

It was a cloudy day at Tourmaline when Steve Jones had finished his morning session. Jones has been surfing for ten years; he started in Scotland.

“It’s somewhat of an adventure surfing in Scotland. There’s no restrooms, you’ve got to carry your board across fields, there’s a lot of rain, and it’s cold. Here is a lot warmer and the conditions are a lot more consistent. So this is paradise compared to Scotland.”

On this particular day, there were about 30 surfers out on the water but according to Jones this is not crowded for Tourmaline.

“I come here often because I’ve had a few injuries in the past playing soccer, so I come here to help get over my injuries. Surfing keeps me exercised, but I’m not doing something as hard as soccer.”

Jones had never seen a shark while surfing until last Wednesday. “There were about six of us in the water and some guy was shouting, ‘Shark!’ and I turned my board around towards them and said, ‘Let’s stay together, guys, and it’ll go away.’ And as I turned, I saw the shark go past the tip of my board. It was eight foot at least. A wave came straight away, and I caught it back to shore.”

“When I was first taught to surf in Scotland, I didn’t even get into the water for two days because I was learning etiquette. There was no one in the water! But I still learned it.”