[Faline]

A California surfer has been killed in a shark attack off a beach at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The attack was reported by another surfer on Tuesday morning off the coast of Surf Beach in Lompoc, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Francisco Javier Solorio Jr "had a friend who he was surfing with who saw the shark bite or hit the man," said Sheriff's Sergeant Mark A Williams.

"His friend ended up swimming over and pulling him from the water where he received first aid."

Another surfer called for help but the male victim was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

He is thought to have suffered a massive bite to the upper torso. His surf board also had bite marks on it, police said.

The Air Force said only that the 39-year-old was not affiliated with the base, which allows public access to some of its beaches.

The type of shark involved and other details are under investigation.

There were no shark warning signs posted at Surf Beach on Tuesday, said Lieutenant Erik Raney, adding that beaches do not typically post such notices unless the location had a recent shark sighting.

An expert has said the attack was likely to have been carried out by a great white shark.

Andrew Nosal, of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, told the Los Angeles Times: "There is no other species swimming off the coast regularly that could possibly do that kind of damage."

It was the latest shark attack fatality at Surf Beach, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles. California has seen 13 fatal attacks since 1950.

In October 2010, Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, died when a shark nearly severed his leg as he body-boarded.

Hundreds of miles south near the coast of San Diego, a 15ft great white shark is believed to have killed triathlete David Martin in 2008.

Fatal shark attacks are rare. There is an average of 65 incidents around the world every year, which typically result in two or three deaths, according to the Pew Environment Group.

[Oswald2001]

There are lots and lots and lots of Great Whites that migrate up and down the coast of California.

People almost never see them or have any interaction at all and so, they think they aren't there.

[Karma]

FFS to a shark a surfer is a seal (edited from 'dolphin', thanks bob351), or a fish. If you surf you HAVE to take into account a shark might mistake you for food, surely. We can't take sharks out of the sea, they live there. So how about taking up something safe instead of surfing, like, I dunno, knitting or tiddly winks? I know, all surfers are gonna be pissed at me now. But I tend to reside on the side of the sharks. They're only doing what comes naturally after all. Can't blame 'em.

[bob351]

Surfers resemble seals more than fish or dolphins, but close enough.

[speakyourmind]

Dont a bunch of companies make various products that repel sharks in case of an attack? Why dont all surfers carry these products?

[bob351]

Surfers are dumb broguys, to busy shackabrahhing each other.

[Karma]

Originally Posted by bob351 ↗

Surfers resemble seals more than fish or dolphins, but close enough.

Thats the one's.

[DannyDrama]

Those sharks need glasses, that surfer looks fuck all like a seal.

[Pyramid_Head]

Poor guy, can't imagine the fear in his friend.

[bob351]

Originally Posted by DannyDrama ↗

Those sharks need glasses, that surfer looks fuck all like a seal.

Some probably do, humans are not the only animals with eye problems lol.

Go give a great white an eye exam and develop some contact lenses to prevent such attacks.