Sometimes the surfer catches a gnarly wave, and other times a shark catches the surfer.
Luckily for one California surfer, a shark swimming in San Mateo County waters over the weekend managed to get only a sample of his surfboard. Jens Heller was about 100 yards offshore at Montara State Beach sitting on his board Saturday when the shark attacked, according to reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Heller, his wife and their 6-month-old daughter had settled at the location after not finding ideal surfing conditions at two other beach spots earlier in the day.
He paddled out on his board and was in the water for about 10 to 15 minutes when he thought his foot and board hit a rock.
“I was sitting on the board, and then I felt something under my foot kick me off the board,” Heller told the surf outlet Powerlines Productions. “I looked back and then saw this big mouth grabbing onto my board.”
He saw the black eye and the teeth of the shark as he tried to get back onto his board. He swam back to shore, feeling like he was moving in slow motion, Heller told the outlet.
“It’s my lucky day, I guess,” Heller said. “I can’t believe it didn’t get me at all. I was like, what are the odds?”
When he reached the shore and the adrenaline started to wear off, he panicked and checked himself to see if he had been bitten. Lifeguards cleared the water, and the beach was closed for two days.
Heller said that state park and wildlife officials took swabs of his board on the beach to analyze the shark DNA and then asked to take his board to analyze the shark bites.
Officials said they hope to determine the shark species within the next week.
Despite all the excitement, Heller said he will not let the experience keep him out of the water.
Saturday’s incident marks the second recorded shark encounter this year in California, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. On May 20, a shark bumped a swimmer at Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego, with no reported injuries.
Scientists believe that most shark incidents are not predatory, but more likely “exploratory bites from sharks investigating unusual objects,” according to Fish and Wildlife officials. Other times, sharks mistake humans for their usual meals, like seals or sea lions.
Juvenile sharks, which can reach up to 10 feet long, sometimes charge or bump larger objects as a potential learning experience as they grow accustomed to hunting larger prey, according to authorities.
White sharks, also referred to as great white sharks, are most active in San Mateo County, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Since 1950, there have been 195 white shark attacks recorded in California. The majority of those attacks involved surfers, freedivers and people on kayaks.
In June 2021, a white shark bit a man swimming about a mile north of Montara Beach, according to authorities. The shark bit the man on the right leg and he was taken to the hospital in serious condition, but he survived.
