Body of triathlete mauled to death by shark in Northern California is recovered
A body was found in the water on the north side of Monterey Bay on Saturday. Californiain the area where a swimmer went missing in a suspicious incident almost a week ago shark attackAccording to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities identified the woman as 55-year-old triathlete Erica Fox., His body was pulled from the ocean just south of Davenport Beach around 2 p.m. Saturday. KRON.
“Due to its proximity to the latest shark attack victim in Monterey County, our agency is working closely with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Pacific Grove Police Department on the rescue,” the sheriff’s office said. “The investigation continues”
California State Parks had previously confirmed that the body pulled from the water was a woman. Them Did not confirm whether it matches the description Fox, The person who disappeared in the area about a week ago.
Fox was reported missing on Sunday. He was last seen at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, near the south side of the bay. It’s about 30 miles from Lovers Point to Davenport, where the body was found Saturday.
Authorities in Santa Cruz found a body in the water near Monterey Bay, a week after a swimmer went missing in a suspected shark attack at a nearby beach (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Fox, in an interview in 2022 Independent He said he feels comfortable in the water but also understands its dangers.
Fox said the reported shark encounters in Pacific Grove at the time did not deter him or his fellow swimmers from spending time in the water. He said he had never encountered a shark himself, but he understood that the ocean was unfamiliar territory for humans and he respected that.
“The moment you dive into the water, you find yourself in a foreign country. We are humble guests of the ocean ecology,” he said. Independent.
He added that he felt “more vulnerable while cycling than in the water.”
Two Monterey beaches were closed Sunday “as a precautionary measure due to an unconfirmed shark incident at Lovers Point in the Pacific Grove,” according to a social media post from the City of Monterey.
A pair of witnesses reportedly told authorities they believed Fox may have encountered a shark the day he disappeared. San Luis Obispo Tribune.
It has not been confirmed that Fox was involved in the shark attack or that the body found in the water was linked to the shark attack.
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Laboratory at California State University, Long Beach, said: Santa Cruz Sentinel The shoreline near Lovers Point attracts sea lions and seals, which are the white sharks’ primary prey animals.
Sharks migrate from the bottomless oceans to the shore in October to feed and usually stay in the area until January.
“They will hunt and patrol areas where these animals congregate,” Lowe told the press.
Despite their existence, shark bites are extremely rare.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 16 people have been killed by sharks in California since 1950. All cases were confirmed to be white shark, except for one incident where the species was not confirmed.
There have been 13 shark bite incidents in the Monterey area since 1950. Most of the victims were divers or surfers. Only two swimmers have been attacked by sharks since 1950.
Rescue teams launched an 84 square nautical mile search in the area where Fox disappeared. Still, the search was suspended after 15 hours, according to a joint statement from the Monterey Fire Department, Pacific Grove Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.
