A drama before Christmas Eve. A 31-year-old surfer was killed this Friday, December 24 by a shark off the beach of Morro Bay State Park in California (United States).
Located by officials at the park north of Santa Barbara shortly before 11 a.m. Friday, the man was pronounced dead on the spot but his name was not disclosed.
The first reports related to this case indicated that the unfortunate man was on a boogie board, a short and light surfboard, at the time of the incident, according to the American newspaper The Hill.
A passer-by discovered the surfer face down in the water and attempted to bring him back to shore, first alone and then aided by Morro Bay Town officers as soon as they arrived at the scene.
Great white shark suspected of attack
Asked by ABC News, Morro Bay Harbor Manager Eric Endersby said the bite found on the victim’s body appeared to match that of a great white shark. After this unfortunate episode, the waters of the jurisdiction were closed for 24 hours.
According to a report by the Global Shark Attack File, this deadly shark attack is the first of the year in the United States.
Last year, this same group had counted three fatal shark attacks in the United States.