'No words, only grief': Surfer, 26, dies in shark attack
A 26-year-old man has died after being mauled by a shark while surfing.
Ben Kelly was surfing near Manresa State Beach in California’s north on Saturday (local time) when he was attacked. He died at the scene.
It’s not known what species the shark responsible for the attack was.
The 26-year-old was a local in the Santa Cruz area and designed surfboards.
On his business’s Instagram page, people mourned his death.
One man remembered Mr Kelly as a “quality man who always loved talking to people”.
Another man, who used to work with the young surfer, said he was “stunned and sad” to hear news of the surfer’s death.
“I was lucky enough to have a couple years hanging with Ben when he worked for me and my heart goes out to Katie (Mr Kelly’s wife) and his family,” he wrote.
“Ben always brought positivity and energy into everything he did and I'll miss him.”
A fellow surfer called Mr Kelly “a great man”.
“A true craftsman who built boards by hand,” he wrote.
“I always admired his shapes when they’d go through the glass shop. Wish I got to spend more time with him. Heaven has a new angel now.”
Another man added he had “no words; only grief”.
The region of water, 1.6 kilometres north and south of the attack, is closed until Thursday (local time).
Signs were posted warning beachgoers about the attack. One sign said it happened within 91 metres of the shore.
The amount of surfing and swimming has been steady while officials close the beach every day between 11am to 5pm to deter a surge of visitors to the coastline during the coronavirus crisis.
Monterey Bay drone photographer Eric Mailander told KRON he had observed dozens of great white sharks swimming near the shoreline in recent days.
He said he counted 15 sharks while out on his boat on Saturday morning (local time).
But none were showing signs of aggressive behaviour, Mailander told the news station.
with The Associated Press
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