Last fatal SLO County shark attack was in 2003. Here’s what has happened since then

Prior to Friday, only two fatal shark attacks had been recorded in San Luis Obispo County in modern history — one in 1957 in Morro Bay and another in 2003 in Avila Beach.

On Friday morning, that number grew to three.

According to officials, a man was killed in a Christmas Eve shark attack while surfing in an area known as The Pit, north of Morro Rock. The man’s identity has not yet been released.

The body was found by a fellow surfer, floating in the waves around 10:40 a.m., according to Morro Bay Harbor Director Eric Endersby.

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.”

The fatality might have some wondering how common such an occurrence is locally.

The truth is fatal shark interactions are incredibly rare: In California, there have only been 18 instances of someone dying from a shark attack since the 1800s.

In all of San Luis Obispo County’s recorded history, there have been only a handful of times when a person was killed by a shark, though there have been a number of non-fatal run-ins.

Since 2003, there have been a total of seven recorded shark attacks in SLO County, two of which were fatal.

Here is look at where and when those attacks occurred:

Woman killed swimming near Avila Beach Pier

On Aug. 19, 2003, Debbie Franzman was swimming with the sea lions near the Avila Beach Pier when a shark swam underneath her and tore a part of her leg off, severing the femoral artery, according to Tribune files.

Franzman, a 50-year-old Allan Hancock College professor who lived in Nipomo, was pronounced dead at the scene.

She had been in view of beachgoers on the pier, as well as a group of lifeguards training on the beach.

Pismo Beach surfer bitten on foot

In July 2010, a teenager surfing near Pismo Beach was bitten by a shark, according to previous Tribune reports.

Nineteen-year-old Derek Crane of San Luis Obispo was bitten on his left foot while surfing at Silver Shoals.

Numerous sea lions had been observed along the coast at that time, according to previous reports. Crane described a 4-foot brown shark with dark spots.

Surfer knocked off board at Oceano Dunes State Beach

In July 2014, a surfer said he was knocked off his board by a shark while surfing off the Oceano Dunes State Beach.

Ron Johnson reported an 8- to 9-foot shark hit him, raising his board up in the air and shoving him into the water, according to previous Tribune reports.

Johnson said he then hoisted himself back on his board and headed for shore, uninjured.

Surfer’s thigh and hip torn open at Montana de Oro

Kevin Swanson, 50, of Morro Bay, was surfing at Sandspit Beach just after Christmas in 2014 when a great white shark tore open his right hip and thigh.

According to previous Tribune files, the shark dragged him underwater before he was able to escape.

Once on shore, he used his surfboard leash to fashion a tourniquet for his leg and got help from a pair of doctors who happened to be on the beach at the time.

Shark bites surfboard in Morro Bay

In August 2015, Elinor Dempsey, 54, of Los Osos, was surfing at Morro Strand when a great white shark bit her board, according to previous Tribune files.

The bite left a huge chunk of her board missing, but Dempsey was uninjured.

Surfer kicks shark in head at Montana de Oro

Nick Wapner, 19, of San Luis Obispo, was preparing to catch a wave off Montana de Oro in January 2019 when he felt a pressure on his legs and saw a 15-foot great white shark clamping down on both limbs.

According to previous Tribune files, Wapner kicked the shark in the head, freeing himself. He rushed to shore and hiked to a car before a friend drove him to the hospital.

Ultimately Wapner suffered deep wounds to his legs, but no damage to his arteries.

Morro Bay surfer killed on Christmas Eve

A surfer discovered a man floating face-down in the waves while out in the ocean north of the Rock in Morro Bay; she attempted to get the man to shore but it soon became evident he had been attacked by a shark.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Morro Bay Harbor Director Eric Endersby described the whole ordeal as “tragic.”

“It’s tragic this happened. We’re all sad and our condolences go out to the families.”