A paddleboarder and his canine have been thrown off their paddleboard when a shark attacked the board within the waters off California, the Pacific Grove Police Division stated Wednesday. Each have been capable of return to shore unhurt.
"On August 10, 2022, at roughly 11:30 a.m., a paddleboarder off of Lovers Level Seashore had a shark encounter roughly 150 yards from the Lovers Level Pier," police stated in a press release. "Through the encounter, the shark swam beneath, turned, and bit the paddleboard machine."
Police stated the paddleboarder, a resident of Pacific Grove, and his canine have been thrown off the board, however managed to climb again on and paddle again to security. The board is being examined to find out what kind of shark it was, police stated.
The seaside will stay closed till Saturday.
Pacific Grove is situated about 100 miles south of San Francisco.
There was a famous improve in reported shark sightings and assaults this summer time, however the hazard from sharks stays low.
Final yr, solely one particular person within the U.S. died from an unprovoked shark assault: A person who was boogie boarding in California's Morro Bay on Christmas Eve. Researchers with the Worldwide Shark Assault File recorded 73 unprovoked incidents final yr, an uptick from the decade-low 52 bites in 2020, however nearer to the five-year international common of 72 yearly.
In keeping with the Shark Assault File, the possibilities of being killed by a shark assault are 1 in additional than 3.7 million. You are extra more likely to be killed by bees or a cow than you're a shark, information compiled by conservation group Defenders of Wildlife exhibits.
Specialists say the uptick in shark sightings and assaults this yr is an indication that conservation efforts are working after shark populations crashed by the Nineteen Seventies, due to overfishing and air pollution.
Allison Elyse Gauthier contributed reporting.