A 39-year-old surfer has lost his life after being attacked in his upper torso by a shark at Surf Beach, Lompoc, off the coast of Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Francisco Javier Solorio Jr. was surfing with a friend at the local Air Force base beach when the shark suddenly attacked.
Surf Beach is located 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles and had already witnessed a fatal shark attack in October 2010.
Back then, a 19-year-old bodyboarder passed away after severe blood loss.
This time, Francisco's friend tried to pull him out of the water, but the experienced surfer would not resist the injuries.
The type of shark is still not known. Only some of the Air Force beaches can be accessed by the general public.
Solorio Jr was not affiliated with the military base, and all local beaches were closed for 72 hours.
Great white sharks have already been spotted in the region, but despite a couple of attacks, there have been no deaths in the last few years.
Surfers are easy targets for sharks. Learn how to protect yourself and reduce the probability of suffering a shark attack.