Surfer reported dead from apparent shark attack in Morro Bay

MORRO BAY, Calif. (KEYT) – A man was found dead from an apparent shark attack in Morro Bay Friday morning.

It happened around 10:40 a.m. north of the Pit Beach on California State Parks property.

According to the Morro Bay Harbor Department, law enforcement and ambulances responded to the area for a report of a medical emergency.

Officials said a female surfer saw a man unresponsive in the water and paddled over to check on him. She helped bring the man to shore where it was discovered he had been injured in a shark attack. First responders arrived on scene and declared the man dead on the beach.

The man's identity has not yet been released but he is believed to be in his 20s or 30s.

Because of the attack, the Morro Bay Harbor Department announced that the Morro Bay waters would be closed for 24 hours due to the deadly attack. Beachgoers will not be allowed to enter the water during this time.

According to officials, while the occasional shark bite has occurred in the past several years, it has been decades since a person was killed by a shark in Morro Bay. A deadly shark attack did happen near Avila Beach around 2003.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office coroner is investigating and will release the man's identity pending notification of next of kin.