Shark attacks
A man was attacked by a shark at Refugio State Beach Thursday morning, a State Parks official confirms.

Eric Hjelstrom, a State Parks superintendent for the Santa Barbara area, said the victim ran out of the ocean bleeding at around 9 a.m.

The man told a park aid at the entrance station to the beach that he had been freediving and spearfishing when a shark came up behind him and bit him on the foot. The man then drove himself to a hospital.

Hjelstrom said he went to the hospital to interview the man in order to authenticate his claims and was able to confirm the attack.

The victim had a GoPro camera on his speargun and used the speargun to fend off the shark while paddling back to shore, according to Hjelstrom, who added he had viewed the GoPro video and recognized a fairly large shark -- possibly a great white -- about six to eight feet in size.

"There's no doubt that this shark bit him," said Hjelstrom. "The video was pretty interesting."

Hjelstrom said the man's wound was not life-threatening.

State Parks recommended an aquatic activity closure starting at noon Thursday until noon Friday. Hjelstrom said a 24-hour closure is standard State Parks protocol for a shark demonstrating aggressive activity. Lifeguard staffing was increased to tell people what happened and advise them to stay out of the water.

Hjelstrom said juvenile great whites feed on bat rays, and there are a lot of those at Refugio.