surf beach 10

The incident happened September 7 at the beach, located at the end of Ocean Avenue near Lompoc. Information about the attack was just released this week.

The beach is located on Vandenberg Air Force Base property. It is known locally as the home of the snowy plover, an endangered bird. Now, another animal is the talk of the town.

Pictures posted on local shark websites show teeth marks all across the back end of the surfboard.

Lompoc residents JD and Veronica Evans walk the beach twice a week. They see wildlife in the ocean on a regular basis. But a shark is a different story.

"Stay out of the water," JD Evans said. "If I was a surfer, and I've seen the sign, I don't think I'd go in."

"It's too bad because we have seen surfers here enjoying the beach a lot," Veronica Evans said.

Officers did warn folks to stay out of the ocean for the next couple of days following the incident. They do not know what kind of shark it was.

Fortunately, the male surfer was not hurt, but he was definitely shaken up.

"I wouldn't say be worried, I would say be observant, be careful, look around," said Daniel Fernandez, a conservation law enforcement officer with Vandenberg Air Force Base.

For Surf Beach visitors, they say there is little you can do.

"If you fall down, you get up and walk again. Well, a surfer, just because there's a shark out there, he's not going to stop surfing," JD Evans said.

"The sharks live there. That's their home," Fernandez added. "They're going to be there. Nobody's going to tell them to leave."

The secluded beach is not so private anymore, as nature makes its presence known in the Central Coast.

"This is the California coast. You have sea lions, and you have shark attacks. I mean, it was bound to happen," Fernandez said.

Officers say the shark was probably just looking for food. According to California Fish and Game, California has had 11 fatal shark attacks since the 1950s.

It is unclear if the surfer who was attacked was alone. But base personnel say if you are going to surf, make sure you do not by yourself.