- Dear Jeff,
-
- I hope you had a pleasant weekend. A surfer was attacked
by a white shark earlier today at Pt. Reyes National Park. The following
in a synopsis of the information that is currently available.
-
- POINT REYES - On Sunday, October 10, 2004, at 9:30 AM,
an unidentified surfer was attacked by a white shark near Limantour and
Drakes beaches in the Point Reyes National Park. He was sitting upright
on his board when a 6 - 8 foot white shark grabbed hold of one leg. The
surfer struck the shark on the head whereupon it released its hold and
swam off. He came ashore unassisted and was flown by Sonoma County helicopter
Henry 1 to a Santa Rosa hospital. The extent of his injuries are not known
at present. Nearby beaches were closed to all ocean water activities following
the attack according to Park Superintendent Don Neubacher. If there are
no further shark sightings the beaches will be reopened on Friday, October
15, 2004. White sharks are known to frequent the Point Reyes area. Extreme
caution should be exercised when utilizing this location for your ocean
water activities.
-
- I will update this information following my discussions
with witnesses and the victim tomorrow.
-
- Large white sharks are known to frequent this area and
have been involved in numerous encounters and several attacks over the
years, including the 1996 attack on a diver off Tomales Point. There have
now been seven unprovoked white shark attacks on humans reported from the
Pacific Coast since January 2004. Six have occurred in California, with
one fatal, and one attack on a surfer in Oregon. Of the 14 confirmed unprovoked
shark attacks reported since 2000, nine (64%) have occurred during the
three month period of August, September, and October.
-
- There has been a substantial increase in reported shark
sightings this year. At present the cause of this increase in under investigation.
-
- Best Regards,
-
- Ralph S. Collier
- Shark Research Committee
|
