VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. Three beaches along coastal Vandenberg Air Force Base have been closed through the weekend after a 28-year-old surfer survived an attack by ashark, authorities said Friday. <\/p>\n
The man, whose name was not released, was surfing Thursday afternoon in an area called Jacks Point when he was bitten on the knee, said Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson, a base spokeswoman. <\/p>\n
The surfer was taken to a hospital emergency room, Lawson said in an email. She didn't elaborate on the extent of his injury or his condition. <\/p>\n
Lawson said the surfer is a civilian employee who works at Vandenberg. <\/p>\n
According to witnesses, he was surfing about a mile north of Wall Beach at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the attack occurred. Witnesses described thesharkas 10 to 12 feet long. <\/p>\n
Vandenberg officials have closed the beach, along with nearby Surf and Minuteman beaches, until 4 p.m. Sunday. <\/p>\n
A bite from agreatwhitesharkkilled a surfer at Surf Beach in October 2012, and a bodyboarder at the same beach died in October 2010 when what appeared to be agreatwhitenearly severed one of his legs. <\/p>\n
\"Coastal California is home to a healthygreatwhitesharkpopulation,\" Lawson said Friday. \"Sharkslive here.\" <\/p>\n
Vandenberg, located along the Santa Barbara County coastline, is a missile- and space-launch site about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
Surf Beach, which had been closed for several months during the Western Snowy Plover's nesting season, only reopened earlier this week. <\/p>\n
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Great white shark attack closes California beaches<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. Continue reading