MORRO BAY, Calif. — A boogie boarder died Friday morning following a suspected great white shark attack off California’s Morro Bay City Beach.
A sign posted on the beach Friday morning warned that the water near the area of the beach known as “The Pit” was closed following a fatal shark attack, The Tribune in San Luis Obispo County reported.
According to KSBY, the man was attacked at around 10:40 a.m., and first responders told the TV station that the bite appears consistent with that of a great white shark, but the predator has not been officially identified.
According to Morro Bay officials, the water in the area will remain closed to beachgoers for a full 24 hours, KSBY reported.
The name and age of the victim have not yet been released publicly.
There were 33 unprovoked shark attacks on humans in the United States last year, three of which were fatal, according to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, ABC News reported.