A shark attack off the coast of Surf Beach in Lompoc killed a 38-year-old man on Tuesday who was surfing at the Air Force Base beach, USA Today reported.
Francisco Javier Solorio Jr., an experienced surfer from Orcutt, California, was surfing with a friend when he was bitten by a shark in his upper torso. "His friend ended up swimming over and pulling him from the water where he received first aid," said sheriff's Sgt. Mark A. Williams. Solorio was pronounced dead at the scene. Details of his death and the type of shark involved were under investigation, ABC News reported.
Although Solorio was at the Air Force Base Beach, which allows public access to some of its beaches, he is said not to be connected with the base. As a precaution, all beaches on the base's coastline will be closed for at least 72 hours, said Col. Nina Armagno, ABC News reported.
"We've had shark sightings up and down the Santa Barbara coastline pretty frequently," said Lt. Erik Raney. Last month, a surfer spotted a 14-foot great white shark about 65 miles southeast of Surf Beach prompting Santa Barbara Harbor to post warning signs, ABC News reported.
According to the Pew Environment Group, on average 65 shark attacks occur worldwide annually; of those attacks generally only two or three result in death, USA Today reported.
Leave a comment