VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - A shark attack at an Air Force base beach killed an experienced 39-year-old surfer, following months of frequent shark sightings along the central California coast.
Francisco Javier Solorio Jr., of Orcutt, was bitten in his upper torso while he was surfing with a friend who witnessed the attack.
They were in the ocean off the coastal Vandenberg Air Force Base, on Surf Beach in Lompoc, the Santa Barbara County sheriff's department said in a statement.
"His friend ended up swimming over and pulling him from the water where he received first aid," said sheriff's Sgt. Mark A. Williams. Solorio was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surf Beach, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was also the site of an October 2010 fatal attack. Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, died when a shark nearly severed his leg as he body-boarded.
The type of shark involved and other details of the latest death were under investigation.
Death by shark attack is rare. An average of 65 shark attacks occur each year around the world that typically result in two or three deaths, according to the Pew Environment Group.
The Air Force said Solorio was not affiliated with the base, which allows public access to some of its beaches. All beaches on the base's coastline will be closed for at least 72 hours as a precaution, Col. Nina Armagno said.
No shark warning signs were posted Tuesday at Surf Beach, said Lt. Erik Raney. Beaches don't typically post such notices unless the location had a recent shark sighting, he said.
"We've had shark sightings up and down the Santa Barbara coastline pretty frequently recently," said Raney, adding that the sightings are publicized.
Friends said Solorio had ridden the waves off the Vandenberg beach since he was a young boy.
"He was a really good surfer," friend Nathan Winkles told KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara.
Last month, warning signs were posted at Santa Barbara Harbor, about 65 miles southeast of Surf Beach, after a 14-foot great white shark was spotted by a surfer.
In July, a man escaped injury near Santa Cruz after being thrown from his kayak by a great white shark that bit through the vessel. An almost identical incident occurred off the coast of Cambria in May.
Hundreds of miles south near the coast of San Diego, a 15-foot great white shark is believed to have killed triathlete David Martin in 2008.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Related Stories
- More Texas News
- National News
- International News
- Man arrested in Texas for 1962 death of La. woman
- Star Trek shuttle craft to be displayed in Houston
- Texas officials find body of missing postal worker
- Billie Sol Estes to be remembered at funeral
- Granbury residents hit by tornado to return home
- Obama talks jobs, says politics misplace focus
- School to resume in tornado-damaged Cleburne
- House OKs major changes to state cancer institute
- Legislature approves South Texas medical school
- Texas lawmakers reach deal on state budget
- Residents of devastated neighborhood return to clean up
- Bernanke forecasts gains from computer technology
- Police: Boy, 6, kicked by pony on Pa. farm dies
- Victims: Marines failed to safeguard water supply
- IRS probe ignored most influential groups
- Conn., NTSB officials to tour train crash site
- Orb goes for 2nd leg of Triple Crown
- Myanmar leader to meet Obama but stalls on reforms
- Glance: Europe's Key Institutions
- Quotations of the day
- Cayman Islands ex-premier denies new allegations
- Rescuers spot bodies at collapsed Indonesian mine
- 24-hour curfew in Nigeria city in military push
- Politics, bribery charges swirl around Ugandan oil
- New board to oversee Trinidad's Caribbean Airlines
- Gunmen seize elderly father of Syria's deputy FM
- Activists: Rebel groups kidnap in Syria's Aleppo
- Gunmen raid home in Iraq, kill 5 people
- French president signs gay marriage into law
- SKorea says NKorea fires 3 short-range missiles
Automotive
Find valuable information about buying your next car, including price quotes and your latest automotive news.
Wedding Central
The greatest Southeast Texas story ever told. Share your wedding and engagement news!
Lost and Found Pets
These are pets that have been lost or found in the KFDM News Channel 6 viewing area.
No Text Zone
Texting While Driving Kills Thousands of People Each Year. Many More are Seriously Injured. You Can Help Make Our Roads a NO TEXT ZONE
Texas Lottery
Texas Lottery
Community Calendar
Check out our Community Calendar!
Baby Talk
Baby Talk with Nicole Murray.
KFDM Channel 6 Top Stories
Business News
Gauge of US economy's future health up in April
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A measure of the U.S. economy's future health rose in solidly in April, buoyed by a sharp rise in applications to build new homes and apartments.
Consumer News
BC-US--Dow Record-Three Personal Stories, 1st Ld-Writethru,1173
Dow Record: Three tales of ups, downs and changes
AP Photo FX102, FX103
Eds: With BC-US--Dow Record. Adds photos.
By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- When the Dow first crossed 14,000, investors were overjoyed. ...
Entertainment News
Get This
ON THIN ICE?
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- He was already on thin ice with the law when he failed to meet the conditions of his probation.
Science/Tech News
IN THE NEWS: LABOR GROUP SAYS CONDITIONS AT APPLE PLANTS IMPROVING
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A labor group Apple joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are getting better.
