29 May 2024 , 05:20
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An Orange County, California, surfer said he feels lucky to be alive, having narrowly avoided a shark attack on a beach that later closed amid "aggressive behaviour" from the aquatic predators.
After a close encounter, Evan Garcia walked away unscathed — but his surfboard suffered a massive foot-long bite from what he described as a juvenile shark.
The attack launched Garcia from his board, and when he landed in the water, he opened his eyes to see what he said was a 4- to 6-foot juvenile shark.
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A map shows the areas where shark attacks have occurred in the US, serving as a warning to those hoping to take a dip into the ocean for Memorial Day earlier this weekSpeaking to FOX 11, Garcia said: "When that thing hit me from below, I knew right away that it was a shark. There's people out there who have been injured by sharks. And I'm so lucky that it only got my board."
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The surfer told the publication that his mother had bought him that surfboard about three years ago and that he'd surfed with it in Mexico before. In fact, he's used it to surf all up and down the coast, he said.
"That board saved my life," Garcia said. The attack sparked a swift chain of events. First, Garcia got out of the water and approached the nearest lifeguard, showing him the board. That lifeguard reportedly sent a picture of the board to a shark expert.
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The "aggressive behaviour" from the sharks led to several beach closures along the California coast (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Once it was confirmed that the damage to Garcia's board was, in fact, caused by a shark attack, the beach was shut down immediately, and everyone was asked to leave the water. A video on Surfline.com reportedly showed the incident and was reviewed as part of the decision-making process when the authorities were weighing the closure.
Throughout San Clemente, a city about 62 miles (100km) south of Los Angeles along the California coast, access to the ocean was completely cut off, officials told the local news outlet, after the incidents of "aggressive behaviour" from sharks across Orange County.
A shark sighting at T Street Beach reportedly sparked the closures, with the city announcing, according to FOX 11: "Beaches will remain open, but water access will remain closed until 8 p.m. tonight, pending no additional shark sightings."
The incident comes after a map showing shark attacks across the US was issued as a warning to those hoping to take a dip into ocean waters for Memorial Day, which was on Monday. The map sought to highlight the prevalence of shark attacks in the US.
According to FOX 11, information on beach closures is available 24/7 by calling LA County's beach closure hotline at 1-800-525-5662. PublicHealth.LACounty.gov/Beach/ also has information about closures and other information, including warnings.