Point Reyes Light -- August 27, 1998

First ever shark attack in Stinson Beach

The first-ever shark attack on a human at Stinson Beach occurred at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday when a 16-year-old boy was yanked off his boogie board and severely bitten in his right leg.

"Based on the description of the attack, recent white-shark sightings in the area, and on the fact that this species swims in Northern California waters, I presume that this was a great white shark," said shark specialist Dr. John McCosker, a senior scientist at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

"To make sure," he added, "we'll examine the tooth pattern of the bite, and see if a tooth has been left in the boy's flesh or in the boogie board."

Unconfirmed reports from rescuers said the youth had 18 puncture wounds in a crescent on his thigh and other bites in his buttocks and lower back.

The Terra Linda boy, whose name had not been released by press time, was bitten while riding the shore break where the water was only five feet deep. He was quoted as saying he hit the shark on the gills in an effort to free himself.

The attack was offshore of the federal beach, said Suzanne Summers, spokes-woman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

"His friends heard him scream when he was about 50 yards offshore. They said he was pulled off the board by the shark but was able to get back onto the board by his own power," Summers added. No one apparently saw the shark.

The boogie boarder remained conscious, although he appeared pale and in shock, while he was assisted to the shore by his friends and lifeguard Pat Norton. Norton helped give the boy emergency medical treatment, Summers said.

Stinson Beach and county firefighters were called in to assist, and the boy was flown by helicopter to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

This kind of attack is part of the great white shark's modus operandi, said Dr. McCosker. "It's not unusual for white sharks to bite people close to shore in thigh-deep water [although they] typically [strike] in depths of 10 to 30 feet. The [attacks] usually occur in August and September."

Known in scientific circles as Carcharodon carcharias, the great white is the largest flesh-eating fish on the planet, he said, adding that he was "surprised" that a shark attack at Stinson Beach hadn't occurred earlier.

By chance, he said, he happened to be fishing south of Stinson Beach on Saturday when he saw a white shark "gnawing on an elephant seal."

After hearing unconfirmed reports that sharks had been sighted nearby, park staff on Sunday posted shark-alert signs in the federal beach's parking lot and near the public bathrooms, Summers said.

The boy was the 79th shark-bite victim in California since 1950, Dr. McCosker said. Throughout West Marin's history, the great whites have been notorious for attacking abalone divers and swimmers outside the mouth of Tomales Bay, he added.

"So far, there have been six confirmed attacks there, and there would be more if people weren't afraid to go there."

The boy escaped "being a fatality" because he wasn't swimming alone, Dr. McCosker said. "If nothing else, this event will teach people not to be in the water alone."

After the boy was pulled ashore, park staff ordered all swimmers out of the water and closed the beach indefinitely.

Seadrift Security also warned surfers near Seadrift subdivision's beach to get out of the water, but several refused. Some surfers off Bolinas Beach also remained in the water.

Can the shark(s) be expected to continue menacing Stinson Beach? Dr. McCosker replied that all he could say for sure is that shark attacks on humans are rare.

And in their defense, he added, great whites are "important players in the overall ecological drama."

- Light correspondents Laura Riley and Clint Graves contributed to this report.

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