California officials reported the state's first shark attack of 2026 this week, when a man suffered serious injuries after being bitten while surfing in waters off Mendocino County.
The Jan. 13 incident took place in the Pacific Ocean just north of the Gualala River on California's northern coast, the area's Fire Protection District Chief Jason Warner told USA TODAY.
The site of the attack is about 115 miles north of San Francisco. Emergency crews responded at 8:45 a.m. after receiving reports of a person in distress in the water.
Warner said the victim was attacked while other surfers were nearby, about 150 feet from the shoreline. When crews arrived on scene, the man "had self-extracted" from the ocean.
"It's not a popular swimming beach because it's known to have undertows, but surfers are known to frequent the area," Warner said.
