VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Three beaches along coastal Vandenberg Air Force Base have been closed through the weekend following a nonfatal shark attack, authorities said Friday.
The attack occurred about 4 p.m. Thursday, military officials said in a brief statement posted on Vandenberg’s website.
The attack happened a quarter-mile north of Wall Beach, which will be closed along with Surf and Minuteman beaches until 4 p.m. Sunday.
A bite from a great white shark killed a surfer at Surf Beach in October 2012, and a bodyboarder at the same beach died in October 2010 when an apparent great white nearly severed one of his legs.
Vandenberg’s statement only described the latest attack as nonfatal. A base public information officer did not immediately respond to a message seeking additional details.
Vandenberg is a missile and space-launch site in Santa Barbara County about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Surf Beach, which had been closed for several months during the Western Snowy Plover’s nesting season, only reopened earlier this week.
All three beaches provide nesting habitat for the endangered bird.
