10-Foot Shark Attacks Surfer in Northern CA (Video)

“I was sitting on the board, actually, then I felt something under my foot,” Heller said, who was surfing at Montara State Beach in San Mateo County at the time of the incident. “It kicked me off the board. I looked back and I saw this big mouth grabbing onto my board.”

“It hit me completely off the board,” he continued. “I just remember looking back and seeing the black eye and the teeth of the shark. Then, I just tried to grab my board as fast as possible and come back in. There were two other guys out, close by, who also paddled in. Both of them said it was about a 10-foot shark. I only saw the fin, so I couldn’t really tell. I was full of adrenaline.”

Visible bite marks can be seen on the underside of the surfboard. A serious close call.

According to a statement from the California State Parks, regarding the attack and the subsequent beach closure as a precautionary measure:

"At approximately 2 p.m. today, State Park lifeguards and peace officers responded to a non-injury shark incident that occurred approximately 100 yards offshore at Montara State Beach in San Mateo County. A surfboard sustained damage consistent with that of a shark bite. Lifeguards immediately cleared the water and posted the beach with shark closure signage, effective for 48 hours from the time of the incident. California State Parks would like to remind visitors that sharks are an important part of the coastal ecosystem and that interactions between humans and sharks are rare."