A post shared by Dave “Nelly” Nelson (@nellysmagicmoments) on Aug 18, 2017 at 10:43am PDT

It’s not every day that a great white shark washes up in Santa Cruz. Sure, the last few months have been oddly full of shark sightings at various places throughout California, but when beachgoers walking at 26th Ave found one dead on the sand, it was a surprise.

Covered in blood, it appears that the shark died after it was hit by a boat and cut by the propellors. Back in July, the city of Santa Cruz closed the area off to would-be ocean enthusiasts.


“This is a hot spot for sharks,” deputy city manager Scott Collins in July. “Sharks are all up and down the Central Coast. But typically, they are not interested in humans. They don’t exhibit this predatory behavior.”