Great white shark bites man, 35, off coast of San Mateo County

SAN FRANCISCO — A great white shark bit a swimmer off the San Francisco Bay Area coast, leaving the man in serious condition, officials said Saturday.

The victim, a 35-year-old man, was swimming in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Mateo County when he was bitten in his right leg around 9:15 a.m. by the shark, which was estimated to be 6 to 8 feet long.

“The male was able to swim to shore and medical aid was summoned,” the San Mateo County Sheriff ’s Office said in a tweet.

The victim was transported to Stanford Hospital. Firefighters said the man was in serious condition when he was transported to the trauma center and was treated with advanced lifesupport measures.

The bite occurred off of Grey Whale Cove State Beach, about 15 miles southwest of downtown San Francisco. The beach was ordered closed.

The attacking shark was likely a juvenile. Great white sharks, also known as white sharks, are usually 4 to 5 feet long when born and are deemed juveniles until they’re about 10 feet long, when they’ve reached maturity, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. They can grow to as long as 21 feet.

One white shark captured in 1986 off Point Vicente, near Los Angeles County’s Palos Verdes

Peninsula, was 17.6 feet long and weighed 4,140 pounds, the state said.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in California, according to the state, which has documented 76 attacks resulting in injuries since 1950. That is an average of fewer than two shark attacks a year that have led to injury over the last 71 years.

California recorded one fatal shark attack in the 2020s, two in the 2010s, three in the 2000s, one in the 1990s and three in the 1980s.

“Scientists consider Southern California a nursery ground for white sharks. Pregnant sharks likely give birth in the relatively calm, warmer waters offshore, and the juvenile sharks spend significant time in shallow water,” the Department of

Fish and Wildlife says on its website. “The juveniles feed on abundant stingrays and other small fish during warm water periods. As they grow and mature, the sharks move to other areas and colder water, where seals and sea lions are more abundant.”

Great white sharks are one of the ocean’s primary predators and play an important role in the ecosystem by eating seals and sea lions, according to the state. Officials say juvenile white sharks are often seen in shallow waters near the coast of Southern California, especially in the summer and when the water is warm.

“Scientists agree that most white shark attacks on humans are unintentional — where the shark mistakes the person for a seal or sea lion,” the state says on its website. “Swimming in areas where sharks have been observed or where white sharks have been seen feeding on marine mammals is not recommended.”

A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports said there has been an increase in observed juvenile white sharks in Monterey Bay, about 60 miles southeast of the site of Saturday’s shark attack.

Farther south, in Southern California, recent drone footage has shown that the presence of juvenile sharks is quite normal, and for much of the year, they can be found along the California coast from San Diego to Santa Barbara County.

Most surfers have long considered it improbable that a great white shark would be hunting at surfing spots. But the advent of drone photography has disproved that notion, showcasing just how often human swimmers and surfers come close to sharks. Yet few attacks occur, which demonstrates the extraordinarily low risk.

Notably, even as more people have headed into California’s surf over the decades — surfing, swimming and scuba diving — shark attacks have not increased proportionally, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.