Shark Kills Calif. Surfer

A surfer was killed in a shark attack off a Northern California beach, state park officials said Saturday. The 26-year-old man was surfing off Manresa State Beach on the northern end of Monterey Bay around 1:30pm when he was attacked by an unknown shark species, the California State Parks said in a statement. The victim's name has not been released, reports the AP, though Santa Cruz Sheriff's deputies notified the man's family. The water one mile north and south of the attack will be closed for five days. Signs were posted warning beachgoers about the attack. The sign said the attack happened within 100 yards of shore.

“State Parks expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of the victim,” the statement said. The amount of surfing and swimming has been steady while local officials close the beach every day between 11am to 5pm to deter a surge of visitors to the coastline during the coronavirus crisis. Monterey Bay drone photographer Eric Mailander told KRON-TV he's been observing dozens of great white sharks swimming near the shoreline in recent days. He said he counted 15 sharks while out on his boat Saturday morning. None were showing signs of aggressive predatory behavior, Mailander told the TV station. Says a resident, "It makes me horribly sad. I love the ocean and I hate for people to be scared of it."

(More shark attack stories.)