Morro Bay woman describes finding shark attack victim

December 28, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A witness who attempted to rescue the victim of a fatal shark attack off of Morro Bay on Friday says the person killed was a 31-year-old boogie boarder. [KSBY]

Rebecca Frimmer of Morro Bay was surfing Friday morning in an area known as the Pit, which is north of Morro Rock, when she noticed a bright blue boogie board floating in the water. The tide was pushing the board farther in.

The board was snapping back, so she thought there was something attached to it, Frimmer told KSBY. She hoped that if someone was drowning she could help them, of it was trash, she could just pull it out of the water.

Frimmer grabbed the board and began pulling it to shore. She paddled and pulled until she could put her feet down. She was able to pull the board closer to her. Then, she saw the boogie boarder’s feet and flippers and began to pull him in.

She was thinking she might perform CPR on top of her board, but once Frimmer saw the extent of the man’s injuries, it was clear that it was way too late. He had already died, Frimmer told KSBY.

Frimmer flagged down the first people she saw to call 911.

The boogie boarder was wearing fins and a full wetsuit when he was attacked by what is believed to have been a great white shark.

For 24 hours following the shark attack, city officials did not allow the public to enter the water in the area where the fatality occurred.