- Title: USA: Shark kills man at popular California surf spot
- Date: 24th October 2012
- Summary: SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 23, 2012) (NBC - NO ACCESS USA/CNN/YAHOO/AOL/WIRELESS/CALIFORNIA STATE MEDIA MARKET WEBSITES) WAVES CRASHING ON BEACH SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WALKING ON BOARDWALK NEAR BEACH SIGN FOR BEACH RULES WAVES NEAR BEACH "SURF BEACH" PAINTED ON ROOF OF NEARBY BUILDING SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES TALKING WAVES CRASHING NE
- Embargoed: 8th November 2012 12:00
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- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disasters,Environment
- Reuters ID: LVABKQ3MQFLENBVE6L6EDPUR2NBL
- Story Text: A shark kills a male surfer at a popular surf spot off Santa Barbara, California.
A shark killed a male surfer at a popular surf spot off California's coast on Tuesday (October 23) in the second fatal shark attack at the same beach in two years, authorities said.
The incident took place at Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of the coastal city of Santa Barbara. The beach was closed by authorities after the attack.
"I think it's pretty well known, locally - like you said, that there are sharks, and that we've had shark sightings up and down the Santa Barbara coastline pretty frequently recently," Lieutenant Erik Raney of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said.
A friend of the surfer pulled him out of the water after the late-morning attack, but life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
Authorities could not immediately identify the size or type of shark involved.
Fatal shark attacks are rare on the U.S. West Coast, according to records kept by the Shark Research Committee, a nonprofit group that documents attacks.
Surfers were the most frequent victims and Great White sharks were the most frequent attackers, according to the group.
The attack came almost exactly two years after a shark attacked a 19-year-old man on a boogie board at the same beach on October 22, 2010, pulling him underwater. That man died from wounds to his leg. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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