Following the reopening of some California parks and beaches to the public, a 26-year-old surfer has died from a shark attack.
The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Manresa State Beach in Northern California, CNN reports. The man was attacked on Sand Dollar Beach within 100 yards of the shore, according to a Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department’s Facebook post.
The man, later identified as Ben Kelly, was pronounced dead at the scene; the shark species isn’t known. State parks protocol dictates that water one mile to the north and south be closed for five days after such an incident. The beach area will not reopen until Thursday. Signs cautioning beachgoers about the attack have been posted within a 1-mile radius of the incident, at beach entrances and access points.
Besides water sports, Manresa State Beach is closed to the public every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Otherwise, the beach remains open to local bicyclists and walkers, provided that they keep the suggested social distancing of six feet or more from each other.
California reinstated some of its beaches at the end of April. “People are prone to want to go to the beaches, parks, playgrounds and go on a hike,” Newsom said in a news briefing at the time. “If it is open, just abide by social distancing.”
