On Sunday, Oct .3, Eric Steinley, a 38-year-old surfer was attacked by a great white shark in Bodega Bay, sustaining injuries to his left thigh. He is in critical condition, but expected to survive with the help of the surfing community and strangers.
According to an interview with NBC Bay area, Eric Steinley reported that, “All of a sudden [I felt] ,just this clamp. Not that fast, but this heavy, heavy clamp on my leg. I looked down and all of a sudden we were going down. I hit him in the nose, the nose, this thing was huge. He let me go and I remember swimming up and I got up on my board and I think he went for the board one more time because he hit me twice.”
During the attack, he believed the shark chomped down three times. He was about 50 yards away from the shore, and had enough strength to paddle back. He was convinced that he was going to lose his leg, but numerous surfers and visitors on the beach hurried to assist him. Luckily, one of the visitors ended up being a doctor and was able to tend to his wound because he had a medical kit in his car. They made a tourniquet, which is a device that applies pressure to a limb or extremity to limit, but not stop blood flow. It made a huge difference and increased his chances of surviving.
Bodega Bay Fire Protection Division Capt. David Bynum told NBC News, “He’s fortunate. He had a lot of help right from the start.” He was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, and authorities closed the beaches within two miles of the attack. His doctor expects to perform many surgeries on Steinley’s right leg because a nerve was severed and partially crushed. Steinley’s recovery could take a year, and doctors are not sure if his leg will be fully functional again.
Steinley grew up and currently resides in Santa Rosa, and ever since he was a teenager he has been surfing off the Sonoma coast. His daily routine includes driving alone along the Bodega Highway coast four days a week in search of some waves. He reported to the Press Democrat, “Surfing is such a big part of my life and it really calms me down. But I just don’t know if I’ll get that feeling anymore sitting out there. I’ll go out again in the future and see if it’s still there.” Steinley is very thankful for the care he got from the surfers, lifeguards, paramedics, doctors, and others who helped him.
Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tested the DNA and confirmed the bite was from a great white shark about ten feet long. In California, shark attacks are extremely rare, but when it happens it almost always includes a great white shark. Since 1950, there have been fewer than 200 occurrences involving all species of shark. Especially at this time of year, sharks are drawn to the Bay Area coastline because it is feeding season so it creates an atmosphere full of confusion when human beings are in the ocean since seals and sea lions pups are starting to grow.
Mark Jensen started a GoFundMe on behalf of Eric Steinley and the funds from the campaign will be used for hospital bills, home care bed, daily physical therapy, counseling, and living expenses due to the decrease of income. They have raised about $32,000 out of their $50,000 goal. They want him to go back to his “normal, active lifestyle, spreading good vibes, building houses, and being a solid community member.”
