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Surf Beach shark attack 10/23/12 - Full Coverage
Latest Post:
10/26/2012 09:10 AM
First Post:
10/23/2012 12:05 PM
(11 stories)
5 pictures
2 videos
Latest Update
Surf Beach is reopen after deadly shark attack
10/26/2012 09:10 AM by Madelyn Monteath, KSBY News
Officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base reopened the beach at 8:00 Friday morning, just days after a deadly shark attack.
The beach has been closed since Tuesday after Francisco Javier Solor… Click to Read More and see additional updates
Latest Update
Surf Beach is reopen after deadly shark attack
10/26/2012 09:10 AM by Madelyn Monteath, KSBY News
Officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base reopened the beach at 8:00 Friday morning, just days after a deadly shark attack.
The beach has been closed since Tuesday after Francisco Javier Solorio, 39, suffered a wound to his upper torso after being bitten by what experts are saying was a great white shark.
Solorio friends called him "Paquito." In a statement released through a spokesperson, Hilda Zacarias, the Solorio family said he died "after an amazing day of surfing and catching a perfect'tube'." He is survived by his wife and their young daughters.
A private rosary is planned for Friday followed by a private service on Saturday. Members of the surfing community are also planning a paddle out ceremony at Solorio's favorite beach,Jalama Beach, in Santa Barbara County, on Sunday.
Celebration of life planned for Orcutt man killed by shark
10/25/2012 02:00 PM by Caroline Lowe
Services and a celebration of life are planned for an Orcutt man killed Tuesday by a great white shark.
39-year-old Francisco Javier Solorio, Jr., was attacked Tuesday while he was surfing near Surf Beach in Lompoc. His friends called him "Paquito."
Solorio is survived by his wife, Kasey, and two daughters, Monique and Frankie, as well as his parents, four siblings and a large extended family.
In a statement released through a spokesperson, Hilda Zacarias, the Solorio family said he died "after an amazing day of surfing and catching a perfect'tube'. He died doing what he loved, surrounded by his friends and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Even though our hearts are broken, we had him here on earth for 39 years, laughing and smiling and making memories we now share."
Zacarias said the "family is thankful for the friends who were with him and tried valiantly to save him and who share our grief and sorrow, his workmates, and all his childhood and close friends who have called and come by to express their condolences."
A private rosary is planned for Friday at the Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary in Santa Maria, followed by a private service on Saturday.
Members of the surfing community are also planning a paddle out ceremony at Solorio's favorite beach,Jalama Beach, in Santa Barbara County, on Sunday.
A memorial fund has been set up for Solorio's children and expenses. Donations may be sent to the "Francisco Solorio Memorial Fund" at the Rabobank, 519 East Main Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454
Expert determines great white responsible for deadly attack
10/24/2012 05:25 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
An expert confirms the shark in Tuesday's deadly attack at Surf Beach was a 15 to 16 foot great white shark.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says Ralph Collier from the Shark Research Commitee in Chatsworth, California made the determination after examining the victim's body today. The sheriff's office says Francisco Solorio, Jr. was bitten on the left side of his upper torso area.
The sheriff's office released this photo of Solorio's surfboard.
Experts: Killer shark was probably great white
10/24/2012 11:29 AM by The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Experts say the shark that bit and killed a surfer off California's central coast probably was a great white and may have been 15 feet long.
Thirty-nine-year-old Francisco Javier Solorio Jr. of Orcutt was bitten in the upper torso in the waters off Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday. He died at the scene.
Authorities have closed the beach about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, where another shark attack two years ago killed a 19-year-old surfer.
Ralph Collier of the Shark Research Committee says he'll meet with investigators and examine the surfboard to study teeth marks but it's likely the attacker was a great white, which is not uncommon in California waters.
He also says it's likely the shark wasn't trying to kill the surfer but may have mistaken him for prey such as a seal and took a test bite that proved deadly.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
PHOTO: Surf Beach shark attack victim remembered
10/23/2012 06:31 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
Friends and family are remembering the 39-year-old Orcutt man who was killed by a shark in the waters off Surf Beach Tuesday.
We'll have a live report on the death of Francisco Solorio, Jr. tonight on KSBY News at 10 and 11.
Shark expert believes great white responsible for Surf Beach attack
10/23/2012 04:54 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
Ralph S. Collier, president and founder of the Shark Research Committee, tells KSBY he believes the shark responsible for the death of a surfer at Santa Barbara County's Surf Beach Tuesday morning was a great white shark.
Collier, who assisted in the investigation into a deadly shark attack at the same beach two years ago, says he drew his conclusion based on information given to him by investigators. That information includes descriptions of the nature of the wound, the size of the bites, a description of teeth impressions, and the number of species indigenous to Central Coast waters that are capable of that kind of damage. He also took into account the time of year.
Collier is working with investigators in Tuesday's case. He says he will make the trip to Santa Barbara County from Los Angeles on Wednesday to help out.
Hear from Collier on KSBY News at 5.
Shark attack victim identified
10/23/2012 04:24 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
The man killed by a shark while surfing at Santa Barbara County's Surf Beach Tuesday morning is Francisco Javier Solorio, Jr., 39, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. He is from Orcutt. The Sheriff's Office says he was bitten by the shark in the upper torso area.
Watch KSBY News at 5 for more on this story, including the species of shark believed to be responsible for the attack.
Surf Beach closed after deadly shark attack
10/23/2012 03:43 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
Access to Surf Beach is closed until further notice and officials are asking the public to avoid the area after a 38-year-old man was killed by a shark while surfing Tuesday morning, according to Vandenberg Air Force Base Public Affairs.
The base says the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office has contacted a shark bite expert to confirm the injury.
A friend of the injured surfer called 911 just before 11 a.m.
The friend was performing CPR on the victim when crews from the Vandenberg Fire Department arrived.
Vandenberg officials say they will work with Santa Barbara County officials to reopen the beach once the investigation is complete.
The base says the victim's name is being withheld until 24 hours after his family is notified.
Man killed in shark attack off Central Coast beach
10/23/2012 01:10 PM by KSBY Staff
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department confirms a 38-year-old man has died as the result of a shark attack.
Sheriff's officials say the man and three other friends were surfing just before 11:00 AM Tuesday off of Surf Beach near Lompoc.
One of the man's friends pulled him out of the water after the attack and called 911.
The Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department was the first to respond, but emergency crews were unable to revive the man.
Victim of reported shark attack is 38-year-old man
10/23/2012 12:48 PM by Kelly Orsini, KSBY News
The victim of what was reported as a shark attack at Surf Beach Tuesday morning is a 38-year-old man who is not affiliated with Vandenberg Air Force Base, a base spokesperson says.
A base spokesperon on scene says the man was injured in an incident, but could not cofirm how serious his injuries are or whether he was in fact attacked by a shark. The spokesperson said the man is still on the beach with emegency crews.
The incident comes just over two years after a UC Santa Barbara student was attacked and killed by a shark at Surf Beach. Lucas Ransom was 19 years old when he was killed.
KSBY has a crew on scene of today's incident and will continue to update ksby.com on this developing story.
Possible shark attack reported at Surf Beach
10/23/2012 12:05 PM by Caroline Lowe, KSBY News
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is responding to a report of a possible shark attack Tuesday morning at Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base.
A KSBY news crew is en route to the scene.
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