A 39-year-old surfer killed in a shark attack off the waters of Central California is survived by a wife and a young daughter, friends said.
Francisco Javier Solorio Jr. of Orcutt was described as an avid surfer who had been coming to the surf spot since he was a boy.
"He loved the ocean," friend Kilian Garland told KSBY-TV.
Solorio was dragged by a friend to the beach after he sustained a massive bite on his upper torso that turned the water surrounding him red, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“His friend saw the shark bite him,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Williams. “It was a pretty bad bite.”
Solorio’s surfboard had bite marks on it, said Lt. Erik Raney of the sheriff’s Santa Maria station. The Santa Barbara County coroner’s office is expected to consult with a shark bite expert to examine both Solorio’s wounds and the marks on the board.
