Sonoma County’s frigid waters weren’t the only thing sending shivers down the spines of surfers on Friday.
The surfer was paddling in the waters off North Salmon Creek about 8 a.m., about 300 yards from shore, when a shark bit his hand. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said the surfer’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Marines were deployed nearby and quickly found the surfer on shore after he left the water alone. Sheriff’s officials said paramedics treated the man’s wounds, but the surfer refused to ride in an ambulance, choosing instead to drive himself to a nearby hospital.
“I’m really glad I didn’t paddle,” surfer Alex Valentin Tell SF Standard Friday. “I’m praying for this guy and hopefully it’s just a bite and he’ll be back in the water soon.”
The Sheriff posted about the incident on social media and shared a photo of the surfboard showing several puncture marks from the shark’s teeth.
It’s unclear what type of shark bit the surfer. Salmon Creek, about 70 miles north of San Francisco, is an area known for white shark activity, especially in the winter, when white sharks feed near Tomales Point and the Farallon Islands before migrating offshore, the Standard reported.
“While our waterways are beautiful, it is important to be aware of the potential dangers they can pose,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement Friday.
Still, shark bites are rare in California. According to data compiled by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 227 shark incidents involving all species have been recorded statewide since 1950, with white sharks accounting for nearly 200 of those incidents.
Of these, 117 were non-fatal injuries, 94 were no injuries at all, and only 16 were fatal.
California beaches average more than 50,000 rescues and nearly 6 shark incidents each year same period between 2010 and 2021, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Although the number of recorded encounters has increased over the decades, experts stress there has been no significant increase in risk to any swimmer or surfer. The increase is largely attributable to more people entering the ocean more frequently — and better, more consistent reporting — rather than a surge in aggressive shark behavior.
There have been seven shark encounters in California waters this year, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The only incident this year that resulted in an injury was in September when a man was bitten by a shark while trying to swim the more than 20 miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro.
“Injuries remain extremely rare,” the agency said. notes Sharks generally do not prey on humans, and most bites are considered exploratory or cases of mistaken identity.
