While Elinor Dempsey wasn't injured in her encounter with a shark Saturday, her surfboard didn't fare as well.
Dempsey was surfing in front of Morro Strand Campground in the central coast of California when she noticed what she thought was a dolphin underneath her board, according to supervising ranger Lisa Remington of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. But then the animal -- believed to be a great white shark -- went after her.
Dempsey pushed the board toward the shark as she jumped off. Nearby surfers helped bring her to shore.
2 Minors Injured in Possible Shark Attacks in Florida and South Carolina Men Catch Shark on North Carolina Beach as String of Attacks Rattle Nerves 10-Year-Old Boy Bitten by Shark in FloridaPark rangers evacuated the water soon afterwards.
Dempsey was later reunited with her board, which had a 14-by-8 inch piece chomped out of it.
Fish and Wildlife biologist Mike Harris, who was also in the area, said the bite was likely made by a 6-foot-long great white shark.
Dempsey told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that she was shaken but more upset that she never had enough time to surf.
“I didn’t get a wave,” said the 54-year-old surfer. “That’s the worst part -- I got no waves.”
Further down the coast, in La Jolla, California, kayakers and swimmers had a terrifying encounter with a hammerhead shark that was caught on video.
A hammerhead shark about 8 to 10 feet long followed the kayakers and swimmers all the way to the shore, according to ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego. Video showed it circling the kayakers.
Beaches reopened Sunday after they were closed as a precaution.
The Associated Press contributed to the story.