A shark bit a freediver on the foot at Refugio State Beach Thursday morning, prompting officials to recommend that beachgoers stay out of the water until Friday afternoon.
At about 9 a.m. on Thursday, the diver was bitten by a shark estimated to be 6-to-8-feet long, said Eric Hjelstrom, state parks superintendent for the Santa Barbara area.
The injury wasn’t life-threatening, Hjelstrom said, and State Parks only found out about the incident after the diver swam to shore and told someone manning a kiosk.
The diver then drove himself to the hospital, where he was later interviewed by State Parks to confirm the incident.
That confirmation prompted State Parks to issue a 24-hour recommendation that people stay out of the water at Refugio.
Hjelstrom told Noozhawk it was the first incident of its kind at Refugio to his knowledge. He estimated that only about one shark bite a year happens along the Santa Barbara Channel.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.