Frigid ocean water in Sonoma County wasn’t the only thing sending a chill down the spine of a surfer riding the waves on Friday.
The surfer was paddling in the water off North Salmon Creek, roughly 300 yards from shore, about 8 a.m. when a shark bit his hand. The surfer’s injuries were not considered life threatening, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Marine Unit already had personnel nearby, who quickly located the surfer on shore after he exited the water on his own. Medics treated the man’s wound, but the surfer declined an ambulance ride, sheriff officials said, choosing instead to drive himself to a nearby hospital.
“I’m really glad I didn’t paddle out,” surfer Alex Valentin told the SF Standard on Friday. “I’m praying for the guy, hoping it was just a nibble and he’s back in the water soon.”
Sheriff officials posted about the incident on social media, sharing a photo of the surfer’s board with several puncture marks from the shark’s teeth.
It is not clear what type of shark bit the surfer. But Salmon Creek — located about 70 miles north of San Francisco — is an area known for white shark activity, particularly during winter months when the animals feed near Tomales Point and the Farallon Islands before migrating offshore, the Standard reported.
“While our waterways are beautiful, it is important to remain aware of the potential dangers they can present,” Sheriff’s officials said in a statement Friday.
Still, shark bites are very rare in California. According to data compiled by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there have been 227 documented shark incidents statewide since 1950, across all species, though white sharks account for almost 200.
Of those, 117 resulted in non-fatal injuries, 94 involved no injury at all, and just 16 were fatal.
There are more than 50,000 California beach rescues per year on average, and about 6 shark incidents over the same period between 2010 and 2021 according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
While the number of documented encounters has risen over the decades, experts emphasize that the risk to any individual swimmer or surfer has not meaningfully increased. The growth is largely attributed to more people entering the ocean more often — and better, more consistent reporting — rather than a surge in aggressive shark behavior.
There have been seven documented shark encounters in California waters this year, according to Department of Fish and Wildlife data.
The only other encounter that resulted in injury this year was in September when a shark nipped at a man attempting to swim the 20-plus miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro.
“Injuries remain extremely rare,” according to the agency, which notes sharks do not typically prey on humans and most bites are believed to be exploratory or cases of mistaken identity.
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