On Saturday, May 9^th, a surfer was killed by a shark at Manresa State Beach in California. Authorities were called at 1:30 PM. The victim suffered a severe injury to his leg and was pronounced dead when rescuers arrived.

The beach was open to swimmers and surfers but closed to other activities to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 quarantine. Following this incident, California state officials have closed the beach to all activities for five days.

The shark species involved is currently unknown, but a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is believed to be responsible. This identification can not be confirmed at this time, as this investigation is still ongoing.

White sharks are abundant and responsible for the majority of the bites along the California coast. The last unprovoked shark bites in the Monterey area were in 1990 and 1981. Both of these involved white sharks.