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Frigid ocean water in Sonoma County wasn’t the one factor sending a chill down the backbone of a surfer driving the waves on Friday.
The surfer was paddling within the water off North Salmon Creek, roughly 300 yards from shore, about 8 a.m. when a shark bit his hand. The surfer’s accidents weren’t thought-about life threatening, in accordance with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Workplace.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Marine Unit already had personnel close by, who rapidly positioned the surfer on shore after he exited the water on his personal. Medics handled the person’s wound, however the surfer declined an ambulance experience, sheriff officers stated, selecting as a substitute to drive himself to a close-by hospital.
“I’m actually glad I didn’t paddle out,” surfer Alex Valentin instructed the SF Customary on Friday. “I’m praying for the man, hoping it was only a nibble and he’s again within the water quickly.”
Sheriff officers posted in regards to the incident on social media, sharing a photograph of the surfer’s board with a number of puncture marks from the shark’s tooth.
It’s not clear what kind of shark bit the surfer. However Salmon Creek — positioned about 70 miles north of San Francisco — is an space recognized for white shark exercise, significantly throughout winter months when the animals feed close to Tomales Level and the Farallon Islands earlier than migrating offshore, the Customary reported.
“Whereas our waterways are stunning, you will need to stay conscious of the potential risks they’ll current,” Sheriff’s officers stated in a press release Friday.
Nonetheless, shark bites are very uncommon in California. In line with information compiled by the California Division of Fish and Wildlife, there have been 227 documented shark incidents statewide since 1950, throughout all species, although white sharks account for nearly 200.
Of these, 117 resulted in non-fatal accidents, 94 concerned no damage in any respect, and simply 16 have been deadly.
There are greater than 50,000 California seashore rescues per yr on common, and about 6 shark incidents over the identical interval between 2010 and 2021 in accordance with the Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Whereas the variety of documented encounters has risen over the a long time, specialists emphasize that the chance to any particular person swimmer or surfer has not meaningfully elevated. The expansion is essentially attributed to extra folks getting into the ocean extra typically — and higher, extra constant reporting — relatively than a surge in aggressive shark habits.
There have been seven documented shark encounters in California waters this yr, in accordance with Division of Fish and Wildlife information.
The one different encounter that resulted in damage this yr was in September when a shark nipped at a person trying to swim the 20-plus miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro.
“Accidents stay extraordinarily uncommon,” in accordance with the company, which notes sharks don’t sometimes prey on people and most bites are believed to be exploratory or instances of mistaken id.
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