MENDOCINO CO., 1/13/26 — A surfer believes he may have been attacked by a shark in the waters off of the Mendocino County coast on Tuesday after he was injured and thrown from his board, he said.
Point Arena resident Tommy Civik, 26, was surfing the ocean at the Gualala River mouth just west of the town of Gualala at about 8:45 a.m. when he was hit by something in the water and thrown off his board, which ended up in two pieces, he said.
“It was like being hit by a car,” said Civik. “All of a sudden, I was shot out of the water.”
He managed to make his way to shore where he was met by first responders who were called after a bystander witnessed what happened to him in the water. He was treated for three puncture wounds, he said. He suffered three distinct teeth marks on his upper left thigh, which required stitches. His wetsuit was completely pierced through.
After speaking with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Civik’s board, wetsuit and wound dressings have been sent to a wildlife forensic lab in Sacramento to try to confirm the attack came from a shark and if so, what species.