A California surfer recently survived a harrowing encounter with a shark who was displaying “aggressive behavior,” officials said.
The Sunday encounter in the vicinity of T-Street Beach in San Clemente, California prompted the city to close the beach “due to confirmed aggressive shark behavior.”
“The beaches will remain open, but water access will remain closed until 8 p.m. Monday, pending no additional shark sightings,” the city said in a notice.
The surfer, Evan Garcia, showed FOX 11 the bite mark on his surfboard, measuring nearly a foot in diameter.
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Surfer Evan Garcia told FOX 11 that he encountered an aggressive shark. (iStock / FOX 11 Los Angeles)
He said a juvenile shark, measuring around four to six feet, knocked him off his board while he was in the water.
Garcia told the outlet he notified a lifeguard after the encounter and showed him the surfboard. After confirming the bite mark with a shark expert, officials ordered everyone out of the water.
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The bite mark on Garcia’s surfboard measured nearly a foot in diameter. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
“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,” Garcia told FOX 11.
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The shark incident happened at T-Street Beach in San Clemente, California. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
No additional details about the incident are known at this time.