A popular question around San Francisco is “Are there sharks in the bay?”  A quick visit to any pier will often reveal fishermen pulling in bottom-feeding sharks such as the beautiful Leopard Shark and other harmless species.
However, while standing at Pier 39 watching 800 pound sea lions play, the question becomes much more specific; “Are there Great Whites in the bay?”
The answer is an arguable ‘No’.  A large shark was photographed swimming near the surface near the San Rafael Bridge in 2006, but whether or not it was a Great White is not certain.  Other than that there are no verified sightings.

On the other hand, the chances that Great Whites have entered the bay at one time or another are quite likely, especially considering that whaling stations existed as far north into the bay as Richmond.  Dragging the bloody carcasses of blubber-rich behemoths through the bay almost certainly brought Great Whites and a multitude of other predators and scavengers in hot pursuit.  After all, to the Great White, the more blubber, the more irresistible.

More disturbing is a report that discarded whale carcasses were buried under the bay, leaving an unmistakable scent to be followed for years to come.  Nevertheless, the chance of encountering a Great White in the bay is slim to none and no one has ever been attacked inside the boundary of the Golden Gate Bridge.