NEED TO KNOW
- A surfer in California is speaking out after a close encounter with a shark on May 31
- The incident happened at Montara State Beach and left bite marks on his surfboard, but Jens Heller was miraculously unharmed
- Lifeguards immediately cleared the water and closed the beach for 48 hours
A surfer is speaking out after surviving a terrifying close call with a shark in California.
Jens Heller was in the water at Montara State Beach when he suddenly felt something beneath the surface, according to ABC affiliate KGO, the San Francisco Chronicle and NBC affiliate KNTV.
“I was sitting on the board actually and then I felt something under my foot kick me off the board. I looked back and then saw this big mouth just grabbing onto my board and then it bit [the board],” he said while showing off the bite marks in a video taken moments after the encounter.
“I mean it kicked me completely off the board and I just remember being in the water looking back, seeing this black eye and the teeth of the shark and then I just tried to grab my board as fast as possible and then come back in,” Heller added.
He said two other surfers nearby also paddled back in. One of them estimated the shark was about 10 feet long.
“It felt like I couldn’t paddle fast enough,” Heller added. “It felt like I’m in slow motion while I was trying to get away.I was like, man, this shark will be so much faster than me. If he really wants to get me, he’ll get there.”
A California State Parks official told KGO that authorities responded to the incident around 2 p.m. local time and that it happened about 100 yards offshore. They confirmed that the damage to Heller’s board was consistent with that of a shark bite.
“Lifeguards immediately cleared the water and posted the beach with shark closure signage, effective for 48 hours from the time of the incident,” the official said in a statement. “California State Parks would like to remind visitors that sharks are an important part of the coastal ecosystem and that interactions between humans and sharks are rare.”
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Heller’s wife and 6-month-old daughter were on the beach when the attack happened, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
And despite damage to his surfboard, Heller made it out of the water without any injuries. He said it must’ve been his lucky day. Heller told KNTV that the close call won’t stop him from surfing again soon.
“I can’t believe that it didn’t get me at all, actually. What are the odds, right?” Heller said in the video.
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