Surfer escapes the jaws of great white shark

The great white shark attack Sunday on a 43-year-old surfer paddling offshore of a Marin County beach was the first to happen in that vicinity in about 10 years, a fire captain said.

Royce Frailey, of Guernville, was surfing with friends before he was attacked around 11:50 a.m. off Dillon Beach in northwest Marin County, according to Marin County fire Capt. Rick Wonneberger.
Before today's incident, Wonneberger said he could recall only one other shark attack in the area, a nonfatal bite occurring about 10 years ago.

Frailey suffered minimal wounds, as the predator apparently sunk only one jaw's worth of teeth into the surfer's surfboard.

The board showed teeth marks from the attack, and Frailey himself was pulled 15 feet under the waves before the shark let go of his thigh and leg, the captain said.

"He is very lucky to be alive," Wonneberger said.

Frailey was paddling facedown when he felt a surge of water and then a bite, the fire captain said.
A friend who was surfing 10 feet away from Frailey said it was a great white shark measuring between 12 and 15 feet.