Vandenberg Air Force officials have closed three beaches after a surfer was attacked by a great white shark Thursday evening. <\/p>\n
The surfer suffered non-life threatening injuries to his knee, as well as cuts to other parts of his body, in the attack, which occurred about 5:30 p.m. a quarter-mile north of Wall Beach, officials said. <\/p>\n
Ralph Collier, president of the Shark Research Institute, said the shark was 8 to 10 feet long. <\/p>\n
The confirmed attack prompted Vandenberg Air Force Base to close Surf, Wall and Minuteman beaches for 72 hours. The order will be lifted at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from the base, which is north of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County. <\/p>\n
Officials at the base asked the public to avoid the beaches \"due to safety considerations.\" <\/p>\n
Collier said he plans to examine the surfer's surfboard, which was scraped, to get more information about the shark in the attack. <\/p>\n
With more beachgoers heading to the shore and a main food source -- seals and sea lions -- on the upswing in California, the chances of a shark encounter have jumped, he said. <\/p>\n
\"I am surprised we don't have more events like this,\" Collier said. <\/p>\n
Still, shark attacks remain extremely rare: Someone is more likely to die by being struck by a falling coconut than being attacked by a shark, Collier said. <\/p>\n
Officials have logged 50 to 100 shark attacks per year worldwide since record-keeping began, he said. Of those attacks, only eight to 12 have been fatal. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More here: <\/p>\n
Great white shark attacks surfer; 3 Central Calif. beaches closed<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Vandenberg Air Force officials have closed three beaches after a surfer was attacked by a great white shark Thursday evening. The surfer suffered non-life threatening injuries to his knee, as well as cuts to other parts of his body, in the attack, which occurred about 5:30 p.m. a quarter-mile north of Wall Beach, officials said. Continue reading