State News
Two Shark Attacks In One Week
By Katherine Noland
Nov 1, 2012 - 9:04:16 PM

EUREKA—People believe if attacked by a shark in one of the world’s great bodies of water, punching it in the nose is the surest way to save your life. For Scott Stephens of Eureka County, this tactic proved successful in Humboldt County on Tuesday, October 30 after he was attacked by a great white shark.

One week earlier, Javier Solorio, 39, was pronounced dead after an attack by a great white shark while surfing near Surf Beach at the Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lampoc on October 23. This attack was almost exactly two years after a college student was killed at the same Vandenberg beach on October 22, 2010.

While it is not uncommon to see Great Whites on the California coast, it is uncommon for them to attack humans. Despite the fact that within the last year, shark attacks in the United States have declined, fatalities internationally have doubled.