A portion of the beach in Encinitas reopened Monday morning two days after a shark attacked a 13-year-old boy Saturday morning.
Beacon’s Beach was initially shut down from La Costa Avenue to Swami’s State Beach after the boy was bitten by a shark while diving for lobster early Saturday morning.
The 13-year-old boy, whose name was not officially released, suffered undisclosed serious injuries and was airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital. As of Monday morning, the boy was in serious condition but is expected to make a full recovery.
Capt. Larry Giles of Encinitas’ Marine Safety division said they have not received any other shark sighting reports since the incident. “This is the first time that, in my career of 30 years, that I’ve seen an attack or anything with a shark that has come in and made contact with one of our swimmers or divers,” Giles said.
A GoFundMe account was established for the boy and his family to help cover medical expenses. As of Monday morning, $23,054 has been raised -- exceeding the goal of $20,000.
Officials with California State Parks, California Fish and Game, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the city of Solana Beach and the city of Carlsbad were working with a marine scientist to determine the type of shark. There have been no reports of shark activity since the initial attack.
(Photo credit 10News)