Nearby beaches closed after fatal shark attack

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A string of beaches on California’s Central Coast was shut down Saturday and there was no word on when they would reopen after a deadly attack on a bodyboarder from what some scientists said was probably a great white shark.

The three beaches north of Santa Barbara – including Surf Beach where the attack took place – would be closed at least through the weekend and officials on Monday would decide when to reopen them, said Jeremy Eggers, spokesman for Vandenberg Air Force Base, which owns the beach property.

Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was bodyboarding with friend Matthew Garcia off Surf Beach on Friday when the shark pulled him under the water. He resurfaced with his leg nearly severed. Ransom died a short time later.

Fish and Game officials were working to identify the type of shark that attacked Ransom. A shark expert told the Los Angeles Times it most likely was a great white.