A 19-year-old surfer died on Friday, following an attack by a shark off the Santa Barbara coast.
According to the report in the Underwater Times, Lucas McKaine Ransom of Romoland, California, had his leg bitten off and was pronounced dead at the scene, having bled to death.
The attack happened about 100 yards from the beach. Ransom had been body-surfing with a friend when the shark pulled him under the water.
The shark was described as being 14-20ft in length. Great white sharks have been spotted in the vicinity lately, but the actual species responsible for the attack hasn't been confirmed.
All beaches in the area were ordered to be closed for 72 hours following the attack.
Shark attacks on humans are relatively rare, with less than 50 people being killed by sharks in the last 10 years. And even then it's often a case of the shark mistaking the human for an injured fish or other animal. Most shark attacks are single bites, usually to the leg, and around 90% of people who are bitten survive.
The last fatal shark attack in California was in 2008, when triathlete David Martin bled to death after a Great white shark bit him about 150 yards off of a San Diego County beach.