Surfer Struck by Thresher Shark off Huntington Beach Pier

On the evening of Sunday, August 30, 2009, a 6-foot tall, 200-pound male surfer from Huntington Beach, California was struck by a shark while surfing approximately 300 yards north of Huntington Beach Pier. The incident occurred at approximately 18:30 in six feet of water during high tide conditions. The surfer, an experienced and accomplished competitor who had been in the water for about 30 minutes, was duck diving beneath a four-foot wave when he felt a sudden, forceful jolt against the back of his board coming from directly underneath. The impact was substantial enough to send him nearly vertical with his feet up and caused his board to slip down his body. Upon surfacing, he inspected his board for damage but found none, initially dismissing the encounter as contact with a large fish. Within one minute, the surfer paddled back to the same location. As he descended a wave, he observed a shark approximately four feet in length swimming directly into the wave where he had been struck. The animal displayed characteristics consistent with a thresher shark, including a traditional shark body shape. The shark turned on its side, exposing its white underside, and came within a few feet of the surfer as it thrashed in the wave. The surfer was forced to dive into the wave to avoid collision, but the shark did not make further contact. Conditions that evening were favorable for observation: sunny skies, warm water temperature of approximately 69°F, and excellent lighting as the setting sun illuminated the breaking waves. However, underwater visibility was nil due to high tide conditions. Approximately 9-10 swimmers and 12 surfers were in the water at the time of the incident. The surfer sustained no injuries from the encounter. This marked the first time in his ten years of surfing that he had observed a shark in California waters.