A shark attacked a surfer Sunday morning off the coast of California near Bodega Bay.
California Highway Patrol airlifted the surfer to the hospital, reported KTVU, a local Fox affiliate.
A surfer was bitten on the leg by a shark Sunday morning near Bodega Bay and airlifted to a hospital, authorities said. https://t.co/sbG3TeLmGr
— KTVU (@KTVU) October 3, 2021
“I saw the dorsal fin of the shark and then I saw the fin tail of the shark. They were going down into the water,” said Jared Davis, a friend of the victim, KTVU reported. “It definitely wasn’t like a quick attack. It was nice and slow. Kind of like a dolphin peaking up.”
The victim and Davis were able to paddle to shore so bystanders could administer first aid, reported KTVU. Authorities don’t know the type of shark that attacked the victim.
“I saw his leg. It looked like he had a red stripe on his wet suit, which is pretty common, but that was actually blood,” Davis said, according to KTVU. (RELATED: Shark Bites Man’s Butt One Week After A Drunk Man Was Killed By A Shark While Peeing On The Same Beach)
The park district closed the beach to the public after the attack, KPIX reported.
Shark attacks in the area are not common, according to KPIX. The last shark attack in the area was in May 2019, but nobody was injured.