Suspected shark attack at Lovers Point occurred in time and place where large sharks come to feed

"It's peak bulking-up season for white sharks in Monterey Bay, and over the past week, two animals previously tagged by scientists passed through the waters near Lovers Point the same area where swimmer Erica Fox vanished Sunday, after witnesses reported seeing a shark nearby, experts said. Fox, the 55-year-old co-founder of recreational swim group Kelp Krawlers, was far ahead of more than a dozen swimmers returning to Lovers Point beach in Pacific Grove early Sunday afternoon, but never came ashore."

"Marine biologist Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, said the rocky coastline near Lovers Point attracts sea lions, and seals also frequent the waters offshore. Both are primary prey for white sharks. Large white sharks migrate from offshore in the Pacific to the coast in October to bulk up on seals and sea lions, typically remaining through January. They will hunt and they will patrol off these areas where these animals congregate, Lowe said."

"At around 12:15 p.m. Sunday, a driver at a stop sign on his way to work called 911 to report seeing a shark burst out of the water about 100 yards off Lovers Point with what he believed to be a human protruding from its mouth, U.S. Coast Guard petty officer Charlie Valor said Tuesday. The man said the shark re-entered the water and did not resurface, Valor added."

Two previously tagged white sharks passed through waters near Lovers Point while a swimmer, Erica Fox, disappeared after witnesses reported a nearby shark. Fox, 55, co-founder of Kelp Krawlers, was ahead of a returning group and never came ashore. Witnesses called 911 reporting a shark bursting from the water with what appeared to be a human, and another eyewitness reported a breach. No remains or swim gear have been recovered. A Stanford Hopkins Marine Station buoy recorded five tagged sharks within 500 yards this month, including two in the past week. Tagged sharks represent only a fraction of sharks present.

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