California Surfer Survives Devastating Shark Attack

A Northern California surfer miraculously survived a devastating shark attack that snapped his board completely in half and launched him into the air, marking California’s first shark incident of 2026. The harrowing encounter comes on the heels of a record-breaking year for shark incidents in 2025, highlighting a growing trend of unusual activity along the state’s coastline.

Story Highlights

26-year-old Tommy Civik attacked by suspected great white shark near Gualala, describing impact “like being hit by a car”
Shark’s powerful strike completely destroyed surfboard and tore wetsuit, yet Civik escaped with only minor injuries requiring stitches
Attack follows California’s record 2025 with 10 shark incidents, including recent fatal attack in Monterey Bay
California Department of Fish and Wildlife collecting DNA evidence from board and wounds to confirm shark species

Violent Attack Destroys Board, Launches Surfer

Tommy Civik was paddling out to catch waves near Gualala in Mendocino County on January 13, 2026, when a shark struck from below with devastating force. The impact snapped his surfboard completely in half, tore his wetsuit, and launched him through the air. Civik described the sensation as being “like being hit by a car,” yet he never actually saw the predator that attacked him from beneath the surface.

Witness Marco Guerrero observed the violent encounter from a nearby sandbar, initially mistaking the thrashing for a seal attack. Guerrero described seeing a shark approximately six feet long with a white underbelly engaged in “violent” tail-whipping behavior. The force of the attack was so powerful that it propelled Civik into the air before he managed to swim to shore carrying only the tail section of his destroyed board.

California surfer bitten by shark in state’s first 2026 attack: ‘Like being hit by a car’ https://t.co/9g4St8jeFy pic.twitter.com/tUTdffBwlY

— New York Post (@nypost) January 14, 2026

Swift Emergency Response Follows Self-Rescue

A bystander on the cliff immediately called 911 at approximately 8:45 a.m., prompting the South Coast Fire Protection District to respond with Jet Skis. However, responders arrived to find Civik had already made it safely to the beach through his own efforts. Fire Chief Jason Warner noted this was the first shark attack call in his 20 years of service, emphasizing the rarity of such incidents in the area.

Despite the traumatic encounter and board destruction, Civik sustained only minor lacerations to his legs. He drove himself to the hospital where he received stitches for his wounds. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife immediately collected DNA samples from his injuries, damaged board, and torn wetsuit to identify the shark species, though officials suspect it was a great white shark based on the attack pattern.

Surfer ‘Shot Out of the Water’ by Shark in California

California Faces Rising Shark Encounter Trends

This attack represents California’s first shark incident of 2026, following an unprecedented 2025 that saw a record 10 shark encounters statewide. While 2025 marked the highest number of incidents ever recorded, only three resulted in injuries, which remains below the 1974 peak of seven injury-causing attacks. The recent spike coincides with growing marine mammal populations that attract sharks to California’s coastal waters.

Surfer Escapes Uninjured After Shark Bites Board In Half At Cabarita Beach NSW | 10 News – YouTube

The Gualala attack occurred just weeks after a fatal incident in Monterey Bay, where open-water swimmer Erica Fox was killed on December 21, 2025. The California White Shark Project documented four shark bites within a two-month period leading up to Civik’s encounter, highlighting an unusual cluster of activity despite the overall rarity of shark-human interactions along California’s 840-mile coastline.