Surfer says shark attack felt 'like being hit by a car' as board bitten in half: reports

A surfer was bitten by a shark that broke his committee successful Northern California this week, successful the state's archetypal shark incidental of the year.

"It was similar being deed by a car," Tommy Civik told Bay City News, according to SFGate of the incidental successful Mendocino County, northbound of San Francisco. "All of a sudden, I was changeable retired of the water."

South Coast Fire Protection District Chief Jason Warner told SFGate that his squad responded to a formation successful Gualala, California, earlier 9 a.m. connected Tuesday, and bystanders told him that a "big" shark "hit the surfer and the surfboard, threw the surfer up successful the aerial a bit, and broke the committee successful half."

He said it "latched connected to fractional of the committee and [was] benignant of thrashing it around."

SWIMMER VANISHES AFTER POSSIBLE SHARK ENCOUNTER OFF CALIFORNIA COAST DURING GROUP OUTING

A surfer was bitten by a shark that broke his committee successful Northern California this week, successful the state's archetypal shark incidental of the year. (South Coast Fire Protection District)

Civik told the Los Angeles Times that helium ne'er saw the shark.

"My committee snapped successful fractional connected impact," helium said. "My person watching said that I flew successful the air. I’m inactive piecing unneurotic what happened. …The full happening was truthful jarring, I was conscionable trying to get away."

Peter Tira with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told SFGate that Civik needed stitches and DNA from his coiled volition beryllium utilized to place what benignant of shark attacked him.

"I was unbelievably lucky," Civik told The Times. "My committee took each the impact, and the teeth conscionable grazed me," Civik said. "I had rather a spot of adrenaline, and since I could walk, I drove myself to the hospital."

"It was similar being deed by a car," Tommy Civik said "All of a sudden, I was changeable retired of the water." (South Coast Fire Protection District)

His person Marco Guerrero told the Times helium saw the shark attacking what helium astatine archetypal thought was a seal.

MINNESOTA WOMAN KILLED IN US VIRGIN ISLANDS SHARK ATTACK 

 "I conscionable retrieve Tommy saying, ‘I’ll conscionable you retired there,’ and suiting up. I was looking retired astatine the waves erstwhile I saw the thrashing," helium explained. "I said, ‘Oh that’s a shark attack,’ reasoning it was attacking a seal. I didn’t recognize it was Tommy."

After the attack, Civik said helium "just enactment [his] caput down and swam, fast."

 The prima sets successful Gualala, California.  (George Rose/Getty Images)

"I didn’t cognize wherever the shark was, truthful I conscionable focused connected getting away," helium told The Times. "After a minute, I realized that if the shark [had] wanted to wound maine again, it would’ve. It each happened truthful fast."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Civik’s onslaught comes little than a period aft an unfastened water swimmer was killed by a shark successful Santa Cruz County, and pursuing a grounds twelvemonth for shark incidents successful 2025.

"However, determination were lone 3 incidents with injuries past year, acold beneath the highest year, which was 1974 with 7 injuries confirmed," Tira told SFGate.