10/13/2023 Male Pacific State Beach, San Mateo County California

[alb]

Surfer, 52, Injured in Second Possible Shark Attack Off California Coast in Two Weeks

The victim was in the water off Linda Mar Beach on Friday “when something bit his lower leg,” police said



A man may have been attacked by a shark while surfing off the coast of a California beach last week, police said.

The 52-year-old surfer, who has not been publicly identified, was in the water off Linda Mar Beach on Friday “when something bit his lower leg” and injured him, the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release.

The victim was able to exit the water and call for help around 3:45 p.m. local time, according to the department.

Pacifica Police, the North County Fire Authority and paramedics with AMR responded to the scene and found the surfer with “an injury to his lower leg.”

The animal that bit him was seemingly able to pierce his wetsuit. A photo of the injury — taken by witness Evan Barbarick and shared by FOX affiliate KTVU-TV — shows a large, bloody gash on the lower portion of his left calf.

The injured man said he “could not confirm if it was a shark” because he “could not see what bit his leg” at the time of the attack, according to police.

He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, they added.
Man Hospitalized After 'Rare’ Shark Bite Off Florida Barrier Island

Barbarick said he and a friend were surfing within seven feet of the victim around the time the apparent attack occurred, according to KTVU-TV. He said he heard the victim yell as it began.

A short time later, the surfer informed the duo that he “got attacked” by an animal and that the bite was bad, Barbarick said.

Man Missing After Reported Shark Attack in California Identified as Tech CEO, Friends Say

They all raced back to shore, at which point Barbarick realized the victim “had a pretty good-looking bite around the side of his leg."

The photo Barbarick shared with KTVU-TV shows blood trickling from the man’s wounds, which appear to be several inches long.

The attack is possibly the second shark attack along the California coast in the last two weeks. Felix Louis N’jai, 52, disappeared on Oct. 1 after a suspected shark attack off Wildcat Beach on the Point Reyes National Seashore, according to The Los Angeles Times and NBC affiliate KNTV.

https://people.com/