Frigid ocean water in Sonoma County wasn’t the one factor sending a chill down the backbone of a surfer driving the waves on Friday.
The surfer was paddling within the water off North Salmon Creek, roughly 300 yards from shore, about 8 a.m. when a shark bit his hand. The surfer’s accidents weren’t thought-about life threatening, based on the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Marine Unit already had personnel close by, who shortly situated the surfer on shore after he exited the water on his personal. Medics handled the person’s wound, however the surfer declined an ambulance trip, sheriff officers stated, selecting as a substitute to drive himself to a close-by hospital.
“I’m actually glad I didn’t paddle out,” surfer Alex Valentin advised the SF Standard on Friday. “I’m praying for the man, hoping it was only a nibble and he’s again within the water quickly.”
Sheriff officers posted in regards to the incident on social media, sharing a photograph of the surfer’s board with a number of puncture marks from the shark’s enamel.
It isn’t clear what sort of shark bit the surfer. But Salmon Creek — situated about 70 miles north of San Francisco — is an space identified for white shark exercise, notably throughout winter months when the animals feed close to Tomales Point and the Farallon Islands earlier than migrating offshore, the Standard reported.
“While our waterways are lovely, you will need to stay conscious of the potential risks they will current,” Sheriff’s officers stated in a press release Friday.
Still, shark bites are very uncommon in California. According to information compiled by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there have been 227 documented shark incidents statewide since 1950, throughout all species, although white sharks account for nearly 200.
Of these, 117 resulted in non-fatal accidents, 94 concerned no damage in any respect, and simply 16 had been deadly.
There are greater than 50,000 California seashore rescues per yr on common, and about 6 shark incidents over the identical interval between 2010 and 2021 based on the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
While the variety of documented encounters has risen over the a long time, specialists emphasize that the chance to any particular person swimmer or surfer has not meaningfully elevated. The development is basically attributed to extra individuals getting into the ocean extra typically — and higher, extra constant reporting — slightly than a surge in aggressive shark habits.
There have been seven documented shark encounters in California waters this yr, based on Department of Fish and Wildlife information.
The solely different encounter that resulted in damage this yr was in September when a shark nipped at a person trying to swim the 20-plus miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro.
“Injuries stay extraordinarily uncommon,” based on the company, which notes sharks don’t usually prey on people and most bites are believed to be exploratory or instances of mistaken id.
