The culprit was confirmed to be an adult white shark. Photo: Elias Levy/Wikimedia Commons, C BY
On Christmas Eve 2021, a boogieboarder was tragically killed by a shark while surfing at “The Pit” in Morro Bay, California. The man’s body was found floating in the waves and he was helped in by another surfer, but when emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene, they pronounced the man dead. The attack was the first fatal shark attack in San Luis Obispo County since 2003, leaving beachgoers with a lot of questions about the attack.
Fast forward three months and details of the shark attack are coming to the surface. Marine biologists confirmed that the shark responsible for the Christmas Eve attack was a sixteen-foot great white shark. The shark attack claimed the life of 42-year Tomas Butterfield, who was boogie boarding at the time.
“Based on the bite pattern, we estimate that shark to be about 16-feet long,” Dr. Chris Lowe, CSU Long Beach marine biology professor and shark lab director, told KSBY6. “We have seen increased numbers of adult white sharks in that lower part of Central California from Morro Bay down to Point Conception, so we believe that this very likely is a new hunting area.”
Dr. Lowe says that Diablo Canyon is a great white hot spot because it offers warm water and plenty of food. He says great whites frequent central California waters from August to February before migrating to a region between Baja and Hawaii. He reminds ocean goers to exercise caution when entering the water near elephant seal rookeries as they are a primary food source for white sharks.
“It’s their home and we’re guests in their home so we should always be aware of the fact that they’re there,” says Dr. Lowe.
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