Great White Shark Attack - Kenny Quits His Job

In late November 1979, 26-year-old Kenny Doudt was five months post-divorce, sleeping on a friend’s couch in Seaside, Oregon, and working a construction job he hated—pounding nails in cold rain on a bluff overlooking a perfect surfing break. Watching other surfers catch waves while he worked became a special kind of torture. So on a gray afternoon, he decided to quit. The relief was immediate. He finished the day, told his foreman he wasn’t coming back, and rushed home to grab his friend Jack for an evening surf. Nothing was going to stop him.

The Conditions They Overlooked

Kenny and Jack were so eager to surf that they ignored several warning signs. A big storm in Hawaii had pushed large schools of fish closer to shore. Record numbers of sea lions were in the area after a perfect pupping year. Most critically, Elk Creek had flooded, dumping muddy water into the ocean near Cannon Beach and creating perfect hunting conditions for a large, stealthy predator. That very morning, fishermen in Tillamook Bay, just 30 miles south, had watched a massive shark toss a bull sea lion into the air like a toy and eat it—a story that made the newspaper. But a great white can cover 30 miles quickly, and Kenny was too relieved to care. He and Jack surfed perfect waves until dark, and Kenny warmed himself by a bonfire, convinced he had made the best decision of his life.

The Attack