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The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended a 22-hour search for a swimmer believed to have been attacked by a shark off a remote California beach.
The Coast Guard received reports that a 52-year-old man was dragged into the water off Wildcat Beach in Point Reyes around 10:40 a.m. Sunday.
The victim, who had attended a wedding, was described as a very good swimmer. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been confirmed.
“We haven’t found the person, so we can’t confirm if it was a shark attack or not,” said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel.
However, two other swimmers told first responders they saw a large pool of blood in the water and other witnesses said the victim was screaming.
A 52-year-old man was reportedly dragged into the water by a shark off the coast of Wildcat Beach in Marin County
The victim was part of a group that had reportedly attended a wedding and then camped in a remote area
Two other swimmers claimed to have seen a large pool of blood in the water after the man was pulled underwater
Samantha Edell was asked by the man’s friends to call emergency services. Her own son came running and said he heard “screaming.”
Samantha Edell told it The San Francisco Standard that her son said he heard screams coming from the water.
“We came out and there was a group gathering around that area where the water is, and they were looking for someone to call 911 because there’s no cell service there,” she said.
Edell, who was camping, called on her Zoleo satellite communicator, a device that extends cell phone coverage and makes emergency calls.
She said members of the group told her their friend was swimming.
‘They said it was a shark attack and I said, “How bad is it?” and he said his friend was attacked and didn’t get out of the water,” Edell said.
After pressing the SOS button on her device, she followed the group to the beach, where another man said he had already been in contact with emergency services.
‘There was another man on the beach who had an iPhone with satellite facilities. He was already in contact with emergency services, so I ended my SOS call,” Edell said.
She heard that the rescuers were already on their way and was asked to “go to the top part of the campsite and wave them down.”
A woman in the group told Edell that they had just attended a wedding and had gone backpacking after the event.
“It was a big celebration,” Edell said. ‘People came from all over, as far away as Europe.’
Christine Beekman, the public information officer at Point Reyes National Seashore, said, “Until we have confirmation, I hesitate to speculate” when asked about the man’s death
The US Coast Guard suspended the search after 10 hours, it was reported on Monday
However, other agencies, including the National Park Service, continue to search for the victim
The three swimmers camped with up to fifteen others at a spot near the beach
Although the Coast Guard suspended its search on Monday, responders from the National Park Service, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the Marin County Fire Department and the Stinson Beach Fire Department continue to search for the victim.
The three swimmers camped with about 15 others in an area near the beach, a six- to seven-mile hike from the main trail.
“In my time here, we’ve never heard of anything like this happening,” said Fiona Ulrich, an employee at the nearby Five Brooks Horse Ranch.
‘There were many more park rangers than normal, flashing lights, a certain chaos all day long.’
Christine Beekman, the public information officer at Point Reyes National Seashore, said jet skis were originally deployed from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Stenson Beach Fire Department.
There have been 210 shark attacks and incidents off the coast of California since 1950, but only 15 were fatal
The search was conducted by air, land and water.
There is a thriving population of white sharks in Point Reyes. The animals are most commonly seen in late summer and autumn.
“This, like all California waters, is shark habitat,” Beekman explained.
Speaking about the circumstances surrounding the man’s disappearance, she said: ‘Until we have confirmation, I hesitate to speculate. Shark attacks are very unusual in this area.”
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there have been 210 shark attacks and incidents off the California coast since 1950.
Only 15 of them were fatal. None of these fatal attacks occurred in Marin County.
“To my knowledge, this could be the first fatal shark attack,” said Ben Ghisletta, senior captain of the Marin County Fire Department.
“But we are hopeful that he will be found.”