RARE

California Surfer Mauled to Death by Shark in Christmas Eve Nightmare

Authorities pronounced the man dead at the scene after reporting his injuries were consistent with a bite from a great white shark.

A surfer in California was killed on Friday in what authorities described as a great white shark attack off the central coast of the state, according to ABC News.

The attack occurred at Morro Bay State Park before 11 a.m., according to the Morro Bay Police Department. ABC News reported a woman surfing nearby the attacked man saw him face down in the water. When he was brought to shore, he was pronounced dead at the scene after officers reported seeing a bite that seemed consistent with that of a great white shark. The man has yet to be identified.

According to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, there have only been three fatal shark attacks on humans in the last year.