Authorities were still searching on Wednesday for the body of a man who disappeared last weekend while swimming with two friends near Wildcat Beach, the victim of an apparent white shark attack.
The 52-year-old man, who was last seen around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday on the remote stretch of Point Reyes coastline, has not been identified. He was reported missing by a caller who said he had been pulled underwater by a shark. The three swimmers had backpacked to Wildcat Beach, where they were camping with a larger group of friends.
“If this was indeed a shark incident, it was a very unusual occurrence,” said Christine Beekman, a spokeswoman for the Point Reyes National Seashore. “Humans are not prey for white sharks. Harbor seals are, and we do have a healthy population of those.”
White sharks migrate to the northern California coast starting in August to feed, and their numbers are highest at this time of year, when sightings are not uncommon. There have been 16 shark-related fatalities in California since 1950, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
About 10 minutes after the man was reported missing at 10:30 a.m., the United States Coast Guard launched a rescue effort. By Monday afternoon, the various agencies that stepped up to help had called off their search after finding no sign of him.
On Tuesday, authorities searched for his body but presumed that he had not survived. They used two boats equipped with instruments designed to identify submerged objects. By late afternoon, they had turned over the search to Marin County Search and Rescue, a team of volunteers who scoured the coastline.
The victim’s family has been notified, but authorities have not released his identity to the public.
A large harbor seal rookery at nearby Double Point would likely attract sharks to the area at this time of year, said Scot Anderson, an Inverness resident and vice president of the nonprofit California White Shark Project, which monitors shark populations in the region.
Although attacks are extremely unlikely, Mr. Anderson said, swimmers would be more vulnerable to them than surfers, whose wetsuits offer some protection to bites and whose boards help keep them afloat.
“It’s still a bit of a mystery what happened,” he said, “but hopefully people can learn from this incident and stay safe out there.”