State agencies now using shark attack to warn, educate, are falling sea lion populations causing sharks to come to shore more?
Update — Linda Little Hartzell here. I have been reporting this story, not Frank. He went out before work this morning, took some photos, and posted them on Facebook. As of this afternoon, we have received zero communication from any government agency about this incident. People are understandably worried. Is the shark still in the area? Should they be concerned?
We cannot figure out why the Department of Fish and Wildlife has not released any information — not even a brief notice on its widely used Facebook page. And why are there no warning signs at Virgin Creek from State Parks? They routinely put those up when sharks are sighted. The silence is baffling.
An interview by ABC with Shark attack survivor.
The problem is that I was in the hospital all day. I came in for what was supposed to be a routine procedure, and then an emergency surgery took precedence — completely unrelated to the shark incident. Fort Bragg’s toughest and brightest, in my view, is Dr. Linda James. She has been in the operating room all day handling that emergency. I’m not going to complain about waiting with two others for my procedure while she’s doing that level of work.
So I’ve been getting updates from people all day, and this photo came in from one of my sources — a big one. We decided to black out his face. Most locals already know he’s a teacher, but protecting his privacy still matters. You can see the shallow but clearly painful bite marks. He’s on his cell phone, likely reassuring someone that he was going to be fine.
This image also makes it obvious why the REACH helicopter was called off. He didn’t need to be airlifted — he was treated and stitched up right here in Fort Bragg, in the same hospital where I spent the entire day.
So blessings on Dr. James and blessings on our teacher who survived a horrifying event and we wish somebody from the government would tell us something!!
This is Whale Festival weekend, and when Frank went out this morning, he found that most of the tourists on the beach had no idea any of this had happened. No warnings, no signs, no official communication. DFW? State Parks? Pretty please — anything?
People keep asking the same questions: Was it a big shark, like some told me? Or was it a smaller shark, as this photo suggests and others have told Frank? We’re trying to sort out conflicting information with zero help from the agencies that normally communicate quickly about shark activity. Help.
Authorities — including the Department of Fish and Wildlife and California State Parks — are operating in complete silence. Not a word to the public. No press releases. When we went into town, we were stunned to see that State Parks still has not posted a single warning sign at Virgin Creek. Two surfers were out there with no idea what had happened.
We interviewed 18 people across Noyo Beach, Caspar Beach, and Big River Beach — which had only two people on it. Among tourists, 9 had not heard about the shark bite. Only 3 had. A couple visiting from Lake County were horrified that nothing had been on the radio or in the news. A man from Redding, wearing a cowboy shirt, said he hadn’t heard a thing. Should authorities be informing people? His response: “No offense, but I think people know the ocean has sharks in it. It’s not the government’s job to tell them that.”
Among locals, 4 had heard about the incident; 2 had not and were genuinely surprised. There have been no published warnings. No shark‑related signage. And this is Whale Festival Weekend — one of Fort Bragg’s most lucrative tourism events. Does this remind anyone else of the plot of Jaws? Rewatch the original film or reread the Benchley book if you don’t think so. The town didn’t warn people about a shark there either.
Update #2 — We are now hearing that the shark was small, not gigantic. A group of kids were having a birthday party on the beach at the time. Witnesses on the bluffs and beach — and the scanner — initially described it as huge. Numerous Facebook posts from people involved claimed 15 feet. But now, two reliable sources tell us it was actually a young, smaller shark.
Update #3 – The shark did not bite the victim multiple times – It did not circle the victim – We’ve now found out that the shark bit the victim one time with both of his ankles in the sharks mouth at the same time.
This is exactly the kind of information authorities should be clarifying. Maybe that’s why they haven’t closed any beaches other than Big River. We don’t have access to official reports — the people who do need to tell the public something. Issue a press release.
Should we be worried? Where is the shark now? How big was it really? And how is the teacher who was bitten? These are the questions people keep asking — and the silence from authorities isn’t helping.
Expect late‑arriving media to swoop in soon, hoping to score a dramatic interview with the victim, just like in Jaws. We won’t be doing that. The man needs time, privacy, and space to recover.
People who were surfing nearby provided immediate care to a local high school teacher bitten by a shark late Wednesday afternoon once he arrived on the beach — aid that may have saved his life, according to early accounts from the scene. He is reported to be in stable condition but we were unable to get any confirmation of the extent of his injuries.
Big River Beach is now closed. Authorities have issued ZERO information about anything, which is a horrible shame folks. They simply dont realize that its PART OF THEIR JOB TO STEP UP during something that terrifies people and is not really a reason to fear sharks, btw, they LEAVE IT TO THE MEDIA WHICH IS IRRESPONSIBLE TO A LARGE DEGREE. There should have been press releases right away. (Frank adding this to Linda’s story) They should be telling us RIGHT NOW IF its safe to go out, if other beaches are being closed, etc…
The incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. at Big River Beach, the wide stretch of sand just south of Mendocino. The victim managed to reach shore on his own and was found at the extreme north end of the beach, where responding crews requested an ATV to reach him more quickly.
A witness described the shark as “gigantic,” visible from shore. Several reported that the shark struck the victim, who witnesses said was a local man multiple times and then circled both him and other surfers. Daniel O’Connor, a tourist visiting Mendocino, was on the bluffs above the stairway behind Mendocino Presbyterian Church and saw the commotion. He said he could see the shark and it appeared large and it circled the rescuers. He said the rescuers did not see the shark circling and he and a couple yelled, knowing they could not be heard. It appeared the shark returned more than once to its victim. We have not been able to get confirmation of this report or the size of the fish but others reported seeing the shark from shore.
UPDATE- There have been false rumors of who the victim was. Please dont do this and post it. We got this from Mackenzie Rain, who posted on Facebook. She doesnt say the name and we wont either unless its publicly released.
Mackenzie Rain
rndpSosoetm1445lh7m0cg35353a09lci7l79ft30al167tmag3a0f2ffa67 ·
A shark attacked a high school teacher while he was surfing Big River last night. Lots of people messaging me, but it wasn’t Erik, it was his buddy. The shark sliced up his lower legs and feet, but he’s going to be ok.
The waves were pretty good, as they have been at Big River lately, so a bunch of surfers were out. They are estimating that it was a 12-15ft great white. He had lots of support on the beach and was taken to the hospital right away.
With a husband and son who surf a lot, this is definitely a fear I’ve had to manage. The reality is that it’s FAR more dangerous to drive to the surf spot than it is to surf. But psychologically…damn. The whole predator/prey scenario can really mess with your mind.
Our community is small and close and we are all reeling from this. Sometimes we forget that we are part of nature’s process, then we are jarringly reminded. We are incredibly grateful it wasn’t worse, as we all know it could have been.
I’ll let you know as we figure out how the community can support his family 
END OF QUOTE FROM MS RAIN…
Scanner traffic indicated the injuries were serious but did not involve arterial bleeding. A paramedic on scene advised that a helicopter may not be necessary, though REACH 18 was already airborne at the time of the call. Eventually, the victim was transported to the hospital in Fort Bragg, scanner traffic indicated. (This likely indicates the injuries were not as bad as first feared, but we don’t have confirmation of that)
California State Parks and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also responded.
How likely is it for a shark that has attacked once to come back and attack again? We plan to pose this question to a shark expert on Thursday. Most reports say that sharks dont want to eat humans and once having done so are careful not to do so again. There have been incredibly rare but still terrifying instances in history where a rogue shark will hunt humans, such as happened in New Jersey in 1916., where a great white began hunting humans, swimming up a river and attacking people in shallow water. This true story, which inspired the fictional movie Jaws, is well documented but has never been repeated among shore attacking sharks.
This report is based on early information and may be updated as more becomes available. We were able to confirm the story with on-scene witnesses and public agency public logs. We did eliminate some scanner material that way.
And the beach held its breath — surfers turned first responders, witnesses staring out at a dark shape moving just beyond the break, the whole scene reminding us how thin the line is between ordinary and extraordinary on this coast.
Tonight, a man is alive because strangers didn’t hesitate. Because training met courage in the cold March surf. Because even as a “gigantic” shark circled back through the shallows, visible from shore like a passing whale, people ran toward danger instead of away from it.
Big River has seen its share of drama, but this one will ripple through the community for a long time.
This is a developing story — and one that already carries the unmistakable echo of the Mendocino Coast at its most human and its most wild. We don’t report straight off the scanner and we contacted MCSO, checked out the CHP log and were contacted by a witness when we called around.
The great white shark population has surged in Northern California in recent years, tracking the rebound of their primary prey — seals and sea lions. As more sea lions succumb to disease, researchers say great whites may be shifting their hunting behavior. Published scientific studies show that a main reason sea otters have been unable to spread much past Monterey and Santa Cruz is that more and more they are killed by great white sharks. The sharks dont like the taste of otter and spit them out everytime, but the little critter perishes in the attack Sharks mistake the otter, a seagoing weasel for the more fat and tender seals and sea lions.
A shark attack was reported earlier this year off Point Arena, and in late 2025 there were three reported incidents in the Bay Area after nearly a decade with none.
n January 13, 2026, 26-year-old surfer Tommy Civik was injured in a shark attack near Gualala. The shark bit his surfboard, causing him to fall, and left him with puncture wounds on his thigh.
California recorded 10 shark‑related incidents in 2025, the highest ever documented in a single year, including the fatal December 21 attack in Monterey Bay in which swimmer Erica Fox, 55, went missing during a group swim and was later found dead. This followed a 2022 attack at the same location, Lovers Point, where the victim survived. SharkSider.com also notes the statewide uptick in encounters.
The USA has the most shark attacks of any country in the world, with Florida leading the way, followed by California. South Africa and Australia are next, with the top three leading the rest of the world by a considerable margin. Australia has the largest portion of fatal attacks.
Sharks cause terror. No doubt about that. But the number of shark attacks is very, very low no matter how one adds it up Great whites are one of the least understood and amazing fish on earth and rightly have protected status.
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/White-Shark
Shark encounters were far more common along the North Coast in the 20th century. One prominent local fisherman was decapitated by a great white north of Fort Bragg in 2004; a stone picnic table still stands above the site in his memory. Randy Fry lived in Auburn and had a house and friends in Fort Bragg. He went back down for one more abalone, then a favorite. sea critter to fish for an eat, when he was hit by the shark.
Great white shark population on the rise after years of decline | PBS News
As a diver for 20 years and having taken thousands of trips to the ocean, Frank has never seen a shark here, or even anything that might have been. Sightings are rare, even among fishermen.
