Condolences to her family and friends, that sucks.
Northern California is know as a Great White mecca. There have been numerous attacks here.
One of the most vulnerable groups are the surfers followed by the freedivers. I’m not a surfer but I have done my fair share of freediving.
I’ve never seen one or been buzzed (not that I know of anyway), but I have talked to people and heard accounts of people who have been buzzed. Only one guy I know had an encounter while blowing bubbles, a commercial urchin diver, was buzzed while he was working on hookah and it got him out of the water for two years. He wouldn’t dip a toe in the water.
Another guy I know got buzzed not far from shore as he was scouting the day before an abalone/spearfishing competition that we were doing. The shark made a beeline for him with open mouth and at the last second banked left and was gone. Scared the crap out if him.
Scuba divers in my area never seem to be harmed or even buzzed. I have never seen one yet. I hope to see one some day, and I hope the interaction is peaceful. I think it would be awesome to see one of those majestic creatures in the wild just cruising by. I don’t know how I would react until it happens.