Morro Bay surfer killed in shark attack on Christmas Eve. ‘It’s tragic this happened.’

A man was killed in a shark attack in Morro Bay on Christmas Eve.

The body was found by a fellow surfer floating in the waves near The Pit area of Morro Strand north of the Rock, around 10:40 a.m., according to Morro Bay Harbor Director Eric Endersby.

A request for medical aid was sent out, and the Harbor Patrol, Morro Bay Police Department and Fire Department all quickly responded to the scene.

“As we were arriving, there was a female surfer in the water that was assisting the victim that apparently saw him little distance away from where she was, face down in the water,” Endersby said.

He said the surfer “got him onto the beach and realized what was happening.”

“About that time, we arrived on scene ... so we took over,” Endersby said. “It was an apparent shark attack victim, definitely deceased, no possibility of resuscitation.”

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Morro Bay Police Department, he has not been identified, and the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office and California State Parks are still on scene investigating the incident.

Endersby said the attack appeared to have been recent, as the condition of the body did not indicate that the person had been in the water overnight or since very early morning.

“Obviously, it’s tragic and we’re all sad, especially given the time this occurred,” Endersby said. “It’s tragic this happened. We’re all sad and our condolences go out to the families.”

It has been almost three years since a shark attack was last reported in San Luis Obispo County.

The most recent was in January 2019 when a shark attacked and injured a surfer at Montana de Oro.

The last fatal shark attack in San Luis Obispo County was in 2003 when a woman was swimming with sea lions in Avila Beach and was attacked and killed.

Water closed in Morro Bay following deadly attack

Soon after the attack, Harbor Patrol took a boat out to clear the area of any other surfers or swimmers, Endersby said.

A sign was also posted on the beach warning that the water near The Pit area was closed following the deadly attack.

Endersby said the water will likely remain closed for the rest of the day and into tomorrow as crews patrol the area to be on the lookout for the shark.

According to Endersby, there have been no reported sightings of sharks in the Morro Bay area recently, though he has noticed more people don’t report sightings while they are in the water, and aren’t generally as concerned about sharks.

“It doesn’t create quite as much hoopla as it used to be,” he said. “It’s like being in the mountains, there’s bears, and you got to be aware of bears and bear signs.”

Endersby urged people to be on the lookout while in the water in the future for signs of wildlife activity that might draw a shark to the area.

This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Morro Bay surfer killed in shark attack on Christmas Eve. ‘It’s tragic this happened.’."

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

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Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.