I swear that I always heard that the guys who escaped from Alcatraz were probably eaten by sharks. But I don’t think that this theory is all that likely.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Lived in the SF Bay Area for almost forty years and don’t remember a shark attack within the Bay at all.
It would be just my luck to plot and plan an escape, make it out of the prison, then be nom nom nommed by sharks.
Their raft was probably carried out to sea on the tide, and they died of exposure/drowning. (source: some show on the Discovery Channel)
Recently some experts did a time specific analysis of the tides on the night of the escape. And it turns out that everything would depend on the exact time of launching the raft, as in within ten minutes either way. And none of it would be under the knowledge control of the prisoners, it would be blind luck.
The key is that the tides are so strong during ebb and flow that the only realistic chance of escaping them in a raft is precisely at the turn. And you would also have to be within range of shore in that few minutes of slack. Which means being RIGHT at the narrow point of the Golden Gate. If the raft was in the water a few minutes earlier than optimum the turn would find them out beyond the Gate and out of range. If a few minutes later than it would be caught by the inward flow and be sent to the middle of the Bay. Screwed either way.
But if you hit it JUST right you would be on either side of the Golden Gate and really within easy walking distance of a City (SF) or a Town (Sausilito) big enough for you to go unnoticed while stealing clothes whatever. And the dumb luck of those three prisoners had them hit the water within a window that included that key moment. Unlikely that they would have hit it exactly, especially since they had no way of knowing the optimal time. But the chances are pretty good that these poor guys drowned within easy sight of shore.
Actually I heard those that escaped were so tough they use the sharks like surf boards and rode them to shore!