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Elinor Dempsey was hoping to catch some waves Saturday morning, but instead, a shark caught hold of her surfboard.
Dempsey, 54, wasn’t injured, but she has quite the souvenir from the shark attack.
At first, Dempsey thought it was a dolphin, but once the shark took a bite out of her board, she quickly realized it was a shark. The shark was about 2 feet underwater when it attacked. She estimated that the shark was 7 to 8 feet long. According to The Associated Press, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist who examined the board estimated that the shark was a 6-foot-long adult male.
One shark researcher told The Tribune that after examining the board, the bite mark likely represents only the upper portion of the shark's jaw.
Dempsey jokingly told The Tribune that she might sell the board, with the 13½ inches wide and 8 inches deep bite mark, to the highest bidder.
As for surfing, Dempsey momentarily considered taking a surfing break, but had already changed her mind by late afternoon, saying she didn’t want this incident to stop her from something she loves.
Morro Bay Harbor Patrol posted a 72-hour beach closure sign in response to the shark attack.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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