Vandenberg AFB Beaches Closed Due to Shark Attack
Surf, Wall and Minuteman Beaches will be closed until Sunday afternoon at 4:00 after a confirmed shark attack, according to officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
A 28-yar-old man was surfing at Jack’s Point on Thursday, about a mile north of Wall Beach when he was bit in the knee by a shark. Other surfers nearby estimated the shark to be 10 to 12 feet in length.
The man is a civilian Defense Department employee at Vandenberg. He suffered a puncture wound and was taken directly to an emergency room.
Base officials said the delay in closing the beach happened because commanders were not aware of the attack until it was reported on Friday. Vandenberg closed the beaches immediately because there are no lifeguards stationed nearby to stop people from entering the water.
Surf Beach is the site of two prior fatal shark attacks against surfers, in October 2010 and October 2012.
Just days ago, Surf Beach re-opened after being closed for several months. Environmental rules require the beach be closed during the nesting season of the Snowy Plover bird.
