Local news is reporting that a 38 year old surfer was killed today, in Santa Barbara. No other details yet.
Surf Beach, Lompoc. Same spot as last year, both boogie boarders. Last year was an SBCC student. This guy was from Orcutt.
Two years ago other attack and he was a UCSB student.
http://www.keyt.com/news/local/Possible-Shark-Attack-Near-Vandenberg-175463551.html
Fatal Shark Attack Near Vandenberg: Victim Identified
Written by
KEY News Staff
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Story Created:
Oct 23, 2012 at 12:31 PM PDT
<p class="pmoddate"><span class="moddate">Story Updated:
Oct 23, 2012 at 6:16 PM PDT
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Vandenberg - Officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base have confirmed
to KEY News that a 39-year-old man died this morning in a shark attack
near Surf Beach.
The victim is identified as Francisco Javier
Solorio Jr. from Orcutt. The initial investigation shows Solorio was
bitten in the upper torso area. Authorities say he was surfing with
three friends at the time.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s
Department says its dispatch center received a 911 call at 10:58 a.m.
stating that a man had been bit by a shark while surfing near Surf Beach
in Lompoc. A friend of the victim who was also surfing at the time
witnessed the attack and swam over to help by pulling the victim out of
the water and onto the beach. The friend started first aid procedures
while another surfer called 911. Paramedics from Vandenberg Air Force
Base arrived a short time later and took over until the victim was
pronounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff’s officials from the Santa
Maria Station say the victim’s surfboard had visible signs of bite
marks. A shark bite expert has been called to confirm the injury.
In
a statement released by base officials, they say the “incident”
happened about 500 yards north of Surf Station. No where in the press
release do base officials refer to a shark or a shark attack. The
statement also says the 39-year-old man who died is not affiliated with
the base.
Surf Beach has been closed until further notice. Santa
Barbara County and Vandenberg officials will determine when to reopen
the beach once their investigation is complete.
KEY News has a crew on the scene.
The
site of this latest fatal attack is close to where a giant Great White
shark killed UCSB student Lucas Ransom in 2010. It is almost two years
to the day since Ransom’s attack on October 22nd, 2010
Watch KEY News starting at five for the latest on this developing story.
crazy… two days ago we had a bear attack on a woman on a popular trail nearby. as for the shark attack, major bummer. some locals think it might be a breeding ground for whites. maybe they ought to close it down during certain times of the year…
Hey Matt, was the bear you are refering to in S.B.? There was one in Ojai too. Lady got charged and shoved but played dead and left alone. It was a sow with cub. The lady was walking three dogs cluelessly. How about the sighting at Leadbetter of Whitey?
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My comments are similar to the ones I made about the UCSB student who was killed at Surf Beach two years ago in the thread started on this site, The place is known Great White turf and has been as long as I can remember(which dates back to the 60’s)… Smart locals do not surf this spot. First off it rarely gets good and when it does there are plenty of other spots around that are better and safer, Even the river mouth south and west of “Little Tiajuana” is safer. You gotta be completly unaware and unkowledgable to paddle out at Surf Beach, Or— Be a village idiot from Pismo. I knew a few village idiots in the old days who would brave washed out roads and long hikes to surf mediocre or poor quality surf spots in the Vandeberg/Sal area. Myself-------I would just drive down to El Cap or Rincon, Crowed but safer and way better quality. Lowel
Coast
Ding give us a break.
Surf Beach has fun surf when everywhere south of there is flat. My buddy who lives in Santa Maria was stoked to surf with Curren at “Surf” a couple of weeks before the UCSB kids death. Curren, Martinez, Brown, etc. Plenty of local rippers have had frequent sessions there over the last 30 years without incident. I think its another issue… The unintended consequence of White Shark and Pinniped conservation; and the reduction of bycatch in commercial fishing.
“Mistaken for a Seal”
Santa Barabara — On September 26, 2012 Peter Howorth, Director, Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center reported the following; "At about 1700 hrs., **Davey Smith, an experienced surfer**, was waiting for a wave off the Santa Barbara sandspit in about six feet of water. No other surfers were present. The water was murky, temperature 64° Fahrenheit and the sand bottom was not visible. A large shark suddenly appeared, coming toward him very quickly. It passed very close to him and disappeared. Smith went to shore immediately. About a minute later, the shark reappeared swimming very fast in a tight circle. Some pelicans circled the area, but no other birds were seen. Smith did not see any marine mammals or fish in the area. Smith said the shark came partly out of the water. He was able to see part of its head and much of its body. It appeared heavily scarred. It was tan or brown, almost gold above according to Smith, and white underneath. Smith saw the snout only briefly but thought it was pointed but rounded at the tip. He thought the distance between the dorsal and tail fin was 5 – 6 feet, perhaps more. He estimated the overall length at about 14 feet. He was not certain about its girth, but his best estimate was about 3 feet. He noticed a smell in the water but did not elaborate other than to say it was not the usual smell associated with that area. Smith said he had seen white sharks before at Jalama Beach and believed that this was a white shark. Don Barthelmess, from the Santa Barbara City College Marine Diving Technology Program, has known Smith for years and feels he is a reliable witness. Per established protocols, the City has posted shark advisory signs at 17 locations on City Beaches. The advisories will be in place for 72 hours. If there are no other sightings during that time, the signs will be removed at sunset on Saturday, September 29.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Carpinteria — On September 20, 2012 Stephen McCullough, Harbor Patrol Supervisor, City of Santa Barbara reported the following;“At 1:45pm, I received a credible report of a 13' Great White Shark sighting 3.5 miles offshore of Carpinteria Beach. It is unlikely this offshore sighting will trigger any beach notices. Dave Beezer, Captain of the charter boat Condor Express, and about 100 passengers, observed the shark for about 3 – 5 minutes. Beezer said he was headed north at 12 knots when he observed a large animal in front of the boat. He slowed and turned to avoid hitting the animal. He then saw it was a Great White about 13' long with a huge girth. He said the water was clear and the shark was clearly identifiable. The shark slowly moved away from the boat as they drove along.“ Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Santa Barabara — On September 10, 2012 Peter Howorth, Director, Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center reported the following; “An adult female harbor seal (61 inches standard length; estimated weight 275 pounds) was attacked by a great white shark this morning. The seal was first seen drifting east at the end of Sand Point Road. Later, it was seen off Carpinteria. The specimen drifted in close enough to be recovered at Linden Avenue. When first seen, some witnesses thought the seal was still alive, while others thought it was dead. When the animal was recovered, it was still bleeding. It also had good color in its gums and palate. Sometime after death, this area becomes pale from lack of oxygen to the tissues. From this, I estimate the time of the attack at soon after 0900 hrs. Two bites were taken out of the animal's pelvic area.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Santa Barabara — On September 9, 2012 Peter Howorth, Director, Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center reported the following;“We received two calls about a young sea lion that swam past several swimmers at Arroyo Burro Beach with a large wound on its back. Upon arrival lifeguards said they had observed the wounds and that they last saw it near the point east of the main beach. We received several additional reports ending with a call that a sea lion matching the description had hauled out on the end of the breakwater. Upon arrival Rick Hubbard, Harbor Patrol had picked up the animal. We recovered the injured animal and returned to the SBMMC. It was a yearling female California sea lion, underweight at 27 pounds. It was blind in its left eye. The wound on its back was typical of wounds inflicted by juvenile great whites, with scalpel-like incisions, triangular cuts into the muscle, and gaps between each tooth mark. A few other tooth marks were visible on each side of the animal. The main wound was past the rib cage and had slashed muscle tissue going as deep as the lining of the GI tract. The wound had been inflicted with the upper jaw of the great white, which is not as unusual as it might seem. The prognosis was hopeless, so we euthanized the animal.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Santa Barbara — On August 27, 2012 Mick Kronman, Harbor Operations Manager, City of Santa Barbara, reported the following;“At 2:30 p.m. today, an experienced commercial fisherman spotted a 15-foot white shark at the harbor entrance, on a direct line between the sand pit and the end of Stearns Wharf. The sighting has been deemed credible. As such, the Parks and Recreation Department is posting ‘caution' notices at 14 locations near City beaches, and one on each of five lifeguard towers between Leadbetter Point and East Beach. The County has also been notified. This action reflects standard protocols developed for this type of event and is warranted not only by today's sighting, but in lieu of recent, confirmed white-shark sightings and white-shark attacks on marine mammals in local waters. If there are no other sightings or evidence of attacks on marine life, the signs will come down in 72 hours (Thursday afternoon).” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Jamala — On August 25, 2012 Brian Crill was kayak fishing with two companion kayak fishermen were 1.5 miles West of the Jalama Rivermouth near the city of Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was 7:20 AM and they had been on the water 45 – 60 minutes. He recorded air and water temperatures of 63 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. The water was 10 – 11 fathoms deep with a flat sand and scattered ‘hard bottom.' Water visibility was 3 – 6 feet with a very calm 1 – 2 foot glassy wind swell. There was a noticeable absence of seals compared to the fishing trip the week before. Crill reported;“While paddling out to fishing area we (total of three kayakers) had stopped to soak a bait for 5 – 10 minutes before moving west along the coast looking for more bait. I had been paddling at a steady pace for maybe 10 minutes with my two partners both inside of me when something made me look directly behind my kayak. It was a feeling that something was following me. I noticed a 2 inch knife blade wake about 35 feet directly behind me, thinking for a second that maybe my un-weighted bait had fallen overboard and I was dragging it. I looked down and saw the bait was still on deck. I immediately looked back again and saw that 20 feet directly behind me was about 8 inches of a dark blue/silver dorsal fin still moving at a steady pace towards me. I calmly yelled ‘Guys don't panic there's a shark right here' at which point because I stopped paddling my kayak turned sideways to the shark. A second later the dorsal fin turned hard about 30 degrees to the right and sunk out of sight. I also noticed a boil/swirl of water break as the tail fin turned the shark. One of the other kayakers saw the dorsal fin as it faded below the surface and a large dark mass. I never did see any of the shark's body. We did not see the shark again but a minute or so after the encounter a large mark appeared on the meter close to the bottom and vanished. We immediately positioned all kayaks in a close group side by side and calmly paddled into the kelp bed 150 yards inside us. We waited a while and after seeing a few seals up the kelp bed we continued fishing for a bountiful catch but with nerves on end.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Oxnard — On August 17, 2012 the Ventura County Star reported; “Commercial fishermen based at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard caught a young great white shark today that was later tagged for future tracking by researchers. It was unclear where the shark was caught, but they docked at Channel Islands Harbor so the fish could be tagged. The male shark, almost 5 feet long, was tagged by researchers from the Southern California Marine Institute so they could ‘track its patterns and find out more about how the sharks live,' said Ken Peterson, a spokesman for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Researchers also drew blood from the shark to learn more about its genetic diversity. The shark was later released back into the ocean. Experts have reported six shark sightings this summer off Santa Barbara County beaches — the latest Tuesday night. According to news reports, great whites were caught by fishermen off Ventura County's coast in 2003 and 2007. Peterson said, 'great whites swim everywhere from Point Conception to Baja California but people enjoying Ventura County waters generally do not need to worry about them. Great whites (juveniles) are fish eaters. They eat schooling fishes, other sharks and rays,' Peterson said. 'They are sharing the waters with people but are not a risk to people.' The tagging of great whites in Southern California is part of a program led by the Monterey Bay Aquarium called Project White Shark. Now in its 11th year, the project aims to preserve great whites and educate the public about the protected species.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Santa Barbara — On August 17, 2012 Sharon Berle reported the following; “I was walking my dog along the beach near Loon Point (located between Summerland and Carpinteria at the mouth of Toro Canyon Creek, Santa Barbara County). It was 1:30 PM and the sky was clear. I observed a large, ‘really big,' gray triangular shark fin just outside the breakers near Loon Point. The shark was heading west. There were 6 – 8 other individuals on the beach that also observed the shark.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Santa Barbara — On August 16, 2012 Peter Howorth, Director, Marine Mammal Center, Santa Barbara provided the following synopsis of recent shark activity in Santa Barbara County: "14 April 2012 Shark attacked adult female sea lion off Stearn's Wharf, Santa Barbara Harbor. Sea lion rescued by harbor patrol, then it was brought to the dock to Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center (SBMMC) volunteers, where it died from shock and blood loss; 20 July 2012 Male southern sea otter attacked at Guadalupe Dunes. Rescued by ranger and brought halfway to Santa Barbara, where it was picked up by SBMMC volunteers. Transferred to Mike Harris of CA Dept. Fish & Game for necropsy; 15-20 July 2012 Adult female California sea lion attacked, received two bites on pelvic area; 25 July 2012 Sea lion above reported on mooring buoy off East Beach, Santa Barbara. Sea lion left when harbor patrol approached too closely; 25 July 2012 Sea lion attacked by shark off Leadbetter Point, Santa Barbara (Properly called Santa Barbara Point). Reported by Dan Collie, charter boat captain; 27 July 2012 Sea lion attacked during period 20-25 July rescued but had to be euthanized; *10-11 August 2012 Male Pacific harbor seal, 5-6 months old, attacked off Carpinteria sea rookery; 12 August 2012 Above harbor seal reported on beach at rookery but washed away before rescued; 13 August 2012 Harbor seal rescued. Bite on dorsal chest and another on pelvic area. Shattered pelvic bones. Animal died 16 August; 14 August 2012 (0930): Eight-foot shark approached paddle boarder closely off Carpinteria. Lifted head out of water to look at person; **14 August 2012 (1720): Shark approached within 5 feet of surfer. It was 5-6 feet between dorsal and caudal fin; girth estimated at 3 feet. Estimated shark at 10 – 14 feet total length; 15 August 2012 6-foot great white seen underwater by urchin diver off Santa Barbara light in afternoon (west of Leadbetter Beach about one mile); and 15 August 2012 Another shark reported seen by surfer friend of urchin diver off Leadbetter. No other details." Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Gaviota State Park Pier — On August 9, 2012 the Santa Barbara Independent reported; “According to a few regular visitors to Gaviota State Park's pier, a large shark, believed by eye witnesses to be a great white, has been frequenting the area during the past week, swimming in close to the pier's pilings and, in one reported instance, chomping a fish right off a fisherman's line. The rumors come just two weeks after Santa Barbara City officials placed shark warning signs at several area beaches in the wake of an injured adult sea lion — believed by experts to have been on the receiving end of a great white shark bite — washing ashore. Those signs have since come down after 72 hours passed without any further incident.” Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.
Listen punk----- You obviously have never surfed Surf Beach, SM Rivermouth, Point Sal, Silos or other spots near by. If you had you would know the obvious that I stated. So whose your bro from SM? If you are dropping names and quoting shark reports from the net, why not drop your bros name too? So I am giving you a break. As requested,
very sad indeed…
a surfer was attacked by a large white shark at surf beach in 2008 too. not fatal, just bit the tail of his board. 3 attacks there in the last 4 years, 2 fatal, all in the months of sept./oct.
its a sharky time of year, and there are certain spots I stay away from around here between july and nov… its not worth it and I have had enough shark experiences in those spots to make it an easy decision. surf beach and some areas slightly north of it are ones I avoid in late summer and fall. be careful
edit: Just read Mc Dings post… right on the money. listen up my friend. had some scaring sh*t happen in some spots he has listed. bottom goes shallow to deep VERY fast… might be a factor? surf at your own risk
Yep. They cruise the dropoffs. Bottom features common to both Sunset and Makaha. At about 60 or 70 feet, in both places, the bottom drops off into black water. No bottom in sight. It is one of the spookiest places I’ve ever experienced.
Initial reports on KCOY Santa Maria said he was a boogier. In fact he was on a surfboard. Paper this AM. had a photo of the of the chomp marks on it.
M'Ding is absolutely correct about that stretch although I've caught Pt. Sal once and it was perfect.
From the LA Times
LOMPOC — The shark that attacked a surfer at Surf Beach was a great white, estimated at 15 to 16 feet in length, according to the Santa Barbara County sheriff.
Ralph S. Collier, a shark expert from the Shark Research Committee of Chatsworth, made the determination Wednesday after examining the body of Francisco Javier Solorio Jr. and the board he was using when the shark attacked, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
Collier said he estimated the size of the shark based on the distance between teeth marks on the board.
Solorio, 39, suffered a massive wound to the torso in the Tuesday attack. A fellow surfer brought him ashore, where he died despite efforts to revive him.
The beaches at Vandenberg Air Force Base remain under a 72-hour closure.
"The intent is to allow time for any potential hazard to leave the area," said Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander at the base. "Officials from Vandenberg and Santa Barbara County are working together to reopen our beaches."
A locked gate greeted anyone daring — some would say foolish — enough to enter the waters off Surf Beach so soon after the death of a surfer at the windy, dune-fringed spot five miles from Lompoc.
"It's Surf Beach and, ironically, we're advising people not to surf it," said Sherwin Gunn, an employee at Surf Connection, a Lompoc shop that offers gear for skateboarders and surfers.
Gunn echoed other locals about the downsides of Surf Beach. The currents are tricky, they say, and the ride, even for experienced surfers, is choppy, measured in powerful bursts instead of long, swooping arcs.
"Nobody local looks at it like a nice day at the beach," Gunn said.
Solorio was an avid surfer who had frequented the spot since he was a boy. He is survived by his wife and their young daughter.
The day before Solorio's death, the family of Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old chemical engineering student at UC Santa Barbara, gathered at Surf Beach in his memory. He was killed by a shark on Oct. 22, 2010. They also paid tribute to Ransom, who would have graduated from the university last June, by establishing a scholarship in his honor.
I’ve had one of the best barrels of my life there, plus seen a friend get chased around by a shark. The place has always been known to be very active with wildlife. Sad event. Seems to be happening more and more as we keep over fishing the entire ocean for greed.
“He is survived by his wife and their young daughter.”
Aw geez. That’s just terrible.
How about some of us in the surfing community collecting a few bucks for the wife & daughter? I’ll chip in $100 to start.
I Have been looking for some effective shark deterrents or repellents. There Isa company in Australia that makes a small electronic device that is suppose work on a sharks internal electronic sensors. Sharks detect pray by the prays electronic signals. The company claims the device gives off a signal that in effect gives a shark a sharp sever head ache.
Another idea that seems to be getting a lot of attention is a natural chemical that a shark admits when it is suddenly killed. Other sharks sense this in the water and flee from the area.
Scientist witnessed an attack on a great white by a Killed Whale off the Fallon Islands just outside San Francisco Bay. The Islands are a well known Breeding ground for Great white Sharks. What really surprised the Scientist is that all the Great whites around the Islands disappeared soon after the attack. It was then that some started doing some research and found this chemical in test it seems to work very well at keeping sharks at bay without any harm to the sharks. i keep looking for a product to come out that would offer some system for the release of the chemical that could be used by surfers, swimmers, divers and anyone using the ocean.
I am a little confused though on where these attacks ocurred? The footage on the news was shot at the Amtrak stop and the camera panned up and down that beach. That stretch is really exsposed to wind currents etc. Mostly just windblown junk. The rivermouth is where we always checked. I was there winter before last and the road down was closed due to winter ratns, I have seen it good once in my random checks. Generally though when I went out that way I was usually headed to Jalama. Tarantulas can be spooky shark creepy as well. If some of you surfed Surf Beach once or twice and got away with it; congrats. The odds increase when you live there and check/surf it daily.
ojai incedent.
first standup surfer killed by shark in california? right? sad he had a wife and kid too… i’d pitch in money as well.
Ding your the Punk with the "Village Idiot" remarks. No reason to bring my bro into this, but I will say he rips and is from SB. My girlfiends parents lived in Guadalupe for many years and I surfed up there plenty. Hell I surfed 2 years on the Oregon coast. Be a sissy and stay at Rincon. But dont be the last one out, theres a seal rookery up the beach.