Surfer Attacked near Bodega Bay

[markrob]

A young surfer who was paddling into the water was seriously injured Wednesday when she was grabbed from behind by a shark, pulled underwater and bit on the leg, authorities said.

Megan Hallava, 20, of Santa Rosa, was surfing off Salmon Creek Beach, a mile north of Bodega Bay, when the attack occurred at 11 a.m.

Hallava described the shark as 14 feet long and said she was released when she hit the shark on the tail, according to Sonoma County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Roger Rude.

Hallava was helped from the water by other surfers. She was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with a bite that stretched from her thigh to her calf, but she's listed in good condition, Rude said.

Salmon Creek Beach has been the site of several shark attacks in recent years, Rude said. Police believe the shark was likely a great white. They have closed the beach and warned surfers in nearby locations.

Rude said Hallava was an experienced surfer.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/10/19/state/n132431D78.DTL

 

[Mike Veitch]

National Enquirer strikes again!

 

[BIGSAGE136]

A young surfer who was paddling into the water was seriously injured Wednesday when she was grabbed from behind by a shark, pulled underwater and bit on the leg, authorities said.

Megan Hallava, 20, of Santa Rosa, was surfing off Salmon Creek Beach, a mile north of Bodega Bay, when the attack occurred at 11 a.m.

Hallava described the shark as 14 feet long and said she was released when she hit the shark on the tail, according to Sonoma County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Roger Rude.

Hallava was helped from the water by other surfers. She was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with a bite that stretched from her thigh to her calf, but she's listed in good condition, Rude said.

Salmon Creek Beach has been the site of several shark attacks in recent years, Rude said. Police believe the shark was likely a great white. They have closed the beach and warned surfers in nearby locations.

Rude said Hallava was an experienced surfer.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/10/19/state/n132431D78.DTL

From whence came you? Why here?

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Shark is 14' long.

She "was released when she hit shark on the tail" which implies the shark had a hold
of her. Bite is on the thigh to calf.

She has LOOOOOOONG arms if she could get to the tail when the shark had her at
about the knee.

I suspect the shark was smaller.

 

[mdb]

Shark is 14' long.

I suspect the shark was smaller.

I suspect you don't what you are talking about. The young
lady is in our local hospital. The shark bit once, pulled away, normal GW mode, she spun and hit at the shark and she, thankfully, survived. The beach is closed at the moment.

10-19) 15:17 PDT BODEGA BAY -- A 20-year-old woman surfing near Bodega Bay fought off an attacking shark this morning and was hospitalized with wounds to her right leg, authorities said.

Megan Halavais of Santa Rosa was surfing at Salmon Creek Beach just north of Bodega Bay when the attack happened at 10:30 a.m.

Brit Horn, a lifeguard at Sonoma Coast State Beach, which includes Salmon Creek, witnessed the attack while he was off duty and surfing with six or seven others people in an area known as the Boardwalk near the south end of the beach.

"I heard her scream, looked over and saw a very large fin, and saw her go under water," Horn said. "Then the fin disappeared and she popped up along with her board.''

Halavais told authorities that she had been lying on her surfboard when what she believed to be a 14-foot-long, great white shark hit her from behind. The shark grabbed her by the right leg, pulled her under water and shook her, Sonoma County sheriff's deputies said.

She fought back and grabbed the shark by what she believes was its tail, and the shark let go, deputies said.

Horn and three other surfers rushed to help Halavais. She was screaming, he said, and there was a small amount of blood in the water from wounds to her right leg. She did not appear to have any life-threatening wounds, he said.

Halavais paddled back to shore, accompanied by the other surfers, who helped her to the beach and applied towels to dress the wounds.

Another surfer ran a half mile to the nearest road and drove to a phone to call 911. Bodega Bay paramedics arrived soon after, followed closely by the Sheriff's Department helicopter. Horn said Halavais never lost consciousness.

"She did very, very well at keeping her cool,'' Horn said.

He said Halavais has surfed at Salmon Creek "for a couple of years at least. I've seen her here surfing in the past, and expect to see her here in the future."

Halavais was in stable condition at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with five lacerations to the leg and was undergoing tests, hospital spokeswoman Mary Brighton Borrelli said.

The Sheriff's Department described the main bite wound as 18 inches long, running from Halavais' thigh to her calf. Park rangers recovered her surfboard, which had bite marks.

The incident took place in an area where previous shark attacks have occurred, Rude said. A shark attacked a Santa Rosa man in the same area about three years ago, Horn said. He said great white sharks are suspected in all the attacks.

"It's unusual, but not unexpected,'' Rude said of today's attack.

As a precaution, rangers, lifeguards and sheriff's deputies advised people to leave the beaches between Jenner and Bodega Bay, Rude said. State parks are closing coastline waters for six miles, from Mussel Point at Bodega Head to Coleman Beach. Beaches will be open but the waters closed for five days.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Normal GW mode? Oh My!

 

[HowardE]

I'm confused... is this a surfing forum or a diving forum... Not that it doesn't interest me when people are injured by sharks (or that I don't feel sympathetic towards the injured party), but isn't this section for DIVE INCIDENTS, not people that look like food to these misuderstood sharks.
When a shark attacks a diver I'll read about it here... Otherwise (well you get my drift)

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I suspect you don't what you are talking about.

Read what was written in the original post:

Hallava described the shark as 14 feet long and said she was released when she hit the shark on the tail,

Either she has LONNNG arms, or that's not what happened.

 

[mdb]

Normal GW mode? Oh My!

Yes Sage, GW's bite and then, frequently, pull back to wait for
their prey to bleed to death or, at least, not fight back. I have
seen three or four GW attacks from the Farallon Islands and the
No. Coast of California. This gal was a fighter and she survived.

 

[archman]

I'm confused... is this a surfing forum or a diving forum... Not that it doesn't interest me when people are injured by sharks (or that I don't feel sympathetic towards the injured party), but isn't this section for DIVE INCIDENTS, not people that look like food to these misuderstood sharks.

You're right... moved over to the nor cal diver's forum.