A 25-year-old surfer is fighting for his life after a shark attack that occurred yesterday

Oct 31, 2012 17:51 GMT  ·  By
A bitten surfboard remains as testament of the shark attack in northern California that left one surfer fighting for his life
   A bitten surfboard remains as testament of the shark attack in northern California that left one surfer fighting for his life

A 25-year-old surfer suffered a shark attack, off Bunker Surf Spot, North Jetty, in northern California, on October 30, at approximately 12:00 p.m.

A number of people were in the water at the time, and one witness drove the man to the hospital. Although he had been able to get to shore by himself, he was bleeding heavily.

An emergency medical technician helped apply pressure on the surfer's wounds before he was transported to hospital.

Emergency personnel dubbed the man's injuries life-threatening, and it is unclear at this point whether or not the surfer will survive the attack.

Witnesses have described the young surfer was found with 12-inch (30 cm) long gashes, starting at his ribs and ending below his hips, California Times Standard reported.

"It punctured all the way through. There were guts and meat hanging," Jason Gabriel, the witness to the attack that drove the unknown man to the hospital, said.