iStockphoto / Alessandro De Maddalena
On December 21st, 55-year-old triathlete Erica Fox from near Pebble Beach set out on a swim in Monterey Bay, California and was later reported missing and a shark attack was suspected. Days later, remains would be found in nearby Santa Cruz.
Now, authorities have confirmed the washed up remains near Davenport in Santa Cruz County after her watch and a ‘shark band’ was used to identify the shark attack victim. It is suspected the shark species was a great white as they are prevalent in this area.
California Shark Attack Victim Identified By ‘Shark Band’
Shark bands are popular wearable devices for open water swimmers. They are built to emit a frequency that is proven to deter curious sharks from approaching.
Tests have shown shark bands to be effective at driving away sharks once they are close by. However, there is simply no way to test a shark band’s effectiveness when a large great white shark is approaching from 30 meters deep. The devices emit a sound/frequency that works relatively close and not when a shark is already in full blown ambush mode thinking it is approaching a seal or a turtle.
According to NBC News, Erica Fox was out on a swim with her triathlete club with others in the water when she went missing on December 21st.
Her husband of 30 years was with her. Jean-Francois Vanreusel told Mercury News “she didn’t want to live in fear, she lived her life fully.”
It wasn’t until a week after his wife disappeared that remains were found and he received a call from the authorities after she was identified using her Garmin watch, wetsuit, and shark band. According to Mercury News, this is just the second fatal shark attack at Lovers Point in 73 years with the last one coming on December 7, 1952.
In the United States this year, there have been 28 shark attacks according to the website TrackingSharks. Of those, 15 were in Florida, 3 in Hawaii, 4 in California, 2 in Texas, 2 in North Carolina, 1 in New York, and 2 in South Carolina. Of all 28 in the 28, only this one in California was fatal and 5 overall were classified as ‘provoked.’
On the r/triathlon subreddit, the community expressed sadness over the loss of a fellow athlete. But many shared how statistically triathletes are much more likely to get injured on their bikes or while running than by a shark in the water as shark attacks are exceedingly rare all across the planet.