By admin 
A shark reportedly knocked a fisherman into the water while he was kayaking near a San Luis Obispo County beach on Monday morning.
Read more Shark capsizes kayak, sending fisherman into water off California coast
According to a Facebook post by the Cambria Fire Department, a local kayak fisherman was about a mile offshore from Leffingwell Landing at around 9:30 a.m. when “something struck the underside of his kayak.”
“The impact capsized the kayak and knocked him into the water,” the Fire Department said.
The man then climbed back into the kayak and began paddling toward shore, but punctures in it caused it to take on water, and he was forced to swim to shore, the post said. The man was not injured during the incident.
The Cambria Fire Department was dispatched to the scene soon after, where personnel helped to recover the man’s kayak, fishing gear and personal belongings.
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According to the post, Chris Lowe with the CSU Long Beach Shark Lab reviewed photos of the damaged kayak and advised that it “was reasonable to assume the kayak had been struck by a shark.” Lowe recommended warning signs be posted at the beach as a precaution.
“Shark involvement remains suspected,” the Fire Department said.
People were advised to exercise caution in the area and avoid entering the water near visible shark activity. They should also call 911 to report any immediate threat or emergency.
Shark encounters are not uncommon in that area of the North Coast.
In 2019, a similar incident took place in which a kayaker was knocked into the water by what he claimed was a large shark. The kayaker was also uninjured.
This story was originally published October 26, 2026 at 8:03 PM with the headline “Shark capsizes kayak, sending fisherman into water off SLO County beach.”
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