Go-Pro Video Records Shark Attack on Surfer at Refugio State Beach

Authorities have closed Refugio State Beach in Ventura County, after a surfer was attacked Friday by a Great White Shark. The victim's Go Pro camera recorded the attack. His name has not been released, but local authorities said they expected him to make a full recovery.

The beach remains closed after the attack, and into the long Labor Day weekend.

Refugio State Beach (Chumash: Qasil, "Beautiful") is a protected state beach park located 20 miles west of Santa Barbara, California. It is 2.5 miles West of El Capitán State Beach. During the summer months, the Junior Life Guard program resides at the beach during the day.

The Refugio oil spill occurred just north of park in 2015 when a pipeline ruptured. The spill went into a culvert that ran under the U.S. 101, and into the ocean. The spill spread over 7-mile of coastline including this park and El Capitán State Beach. The parks were closed during the clean-up including the typically busy Memorial Day Weekend.

The great white shark has no known natural predators other than the killer whale. The great white shark is arguably the world's largest known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals. It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals, including fish and seabirds. It is the only known surviving species of its genus Carcharodon, and is ranked first in having the most recorded shark bite incidents on humans.

The IUCN list the great white shark as a vulnerable species, while it is included in Appendix II of CITES.