Man Killed By Shark As Friend Watches Helpless

A California surfer has been killed by a shark off a beach at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The attack was reported by another surfer on Tuesday morning off the coast of Surf Beach in Lompoc, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Francisco Javier Solorio Jr "had a friend who he was surfing with who saw the shark bite or hit the man," said Sheriff's Sgt Mark A Williams.

"His friend ended up swimming over and pulling him from the water where he received first aid."

Another surfer called for help but the male victim was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

He was reportedly bitten on the upper torso

The Air Force said only that the 39-year-old was not affiliated with the base, which allows public access to some of its beaches.

The type of shark involved and other details are under investigation.

There were no shark warning signs posted at Surf Beach on Tuesday, said Lt. Erik Raney, adding that beaches do not typically post such notices unless the location had a recent shark sighting.

It was the latest shark attack fatality at Surf Beach, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

In October 2010, Lucas Ransom, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, died when a shark nearly severed his leg as he body-boarded.

Hundreds of miles south near the coast of San Diego, a 15ft great white shark is believed to have killed triathlete David Martin in 2008.

Fatal shark attacks are rare. There is an average of 65 incidents around the world every year, which typically result in two or three deaths, according to the Pew Environment Group.