A surfer avoided injury after being attacked by a shark Monday morning at Marin County’s Dillon Beach, officials verified Tuesday.
The attack occurred around 9 or 10 a.m. near the mouth of Tomales Bay, said Graham Groneman, a battalion chief with the Marin County Fire Department. The area is a known habitat for sharks where sightings aren’t abnormal.
“It’s where shark experts do research on Great White sharks,” he said.
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Signs are now posted around Dillon Beach warning visitors of shark activity.
The attack damaged the surfer’s surfboard. California Department of Fish and Wildlife investigators swabbed the surfboard for a DNA sample to help identify the shark species involved, said Peter Tira, a CDFW information officer.
“Given the holidays, we won’t have results on that analysis for a while,” he told The Press Democrat in an email.
Monday’s attack was the second to occur this month along the coast of Marin and Sonoma counties. On Dec. 12, a surfer was hospitalized after being attacked at North Salmon Creek Beach in Bodega Bay. He was treated for a bite to his hand while his surfboard was left with bite marks.
Groneman said shark activity may increase in the area due to a growing presence of sea lions and seals that serve as prey. Experts have previously said encounters between sharks and humans are infrequent but may occur when the predators mistake surfboards for prey.
According to CDFW data, there have been 229 documented encounters involving sharks and people along the California coast since 1950. The data pertains to sharks that physically touched swimmers, boards or kayaks. Not included are shark sightings or incidents involving hooked sharks.
Sixteen of the 229 incidents were reported along the Sonoma County coast and there were 18 along the Marin County coast. Great White sharks were involved in 199 of the incidents, according to the data. Five of them involved Hammerhead or Blue sharks while the rest weren’t specified.
Outside of the North Bay, a shark attack is believed to have been involved in the disappearance of a triathlete at Lovers Point in Monterey. Erica Fox, 55, was last seen Sunday after a member of her swim club spotted a shark in the area she’d been swimming.
Beaches are expected to remain open this week even though the Northern California coast is being pounded by a winter storm. Officials are encouraging visitors to use caution when going to the ocean.
“It’s definitely not gonna be your ideal beach weather,” Groneman said.
