MORRO BAY, Calif. (WGNO) — A surfer was killed in an apparent shark attack off Morro Bay Friday morning, authorities said.
First responders were dispatched to the beach just north of Atascadero Road in the Central Coast city to a report of an unresponsive male victim on the beach, according to a statement released by the Morro Bay Police Department.
“He was pulled from the water suffering from an apparent shark attack,” the statement said.
Authorities have not released the victim’s name or his age.
No additional details about the deadly incident have been released amid the investigation, which is being conducted by the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office and California State Parks representatives, according to police.
While local beaches remain open, beachgoers have been ordered not to go into the water for a 24-hour period.
Shark attacks in California are extremely rare, with about 199 such incidents reported since the 1950s, figures from the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife showed. They resulted in 14 fatalities and 107 injuries, according to the data, which was last updated this past August.