{"id":5909,"date":"2026-08-01T19:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T19:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909"},"modified":"2026-08-01T19:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T19:06:55","slug":"gruesome-details-revealed-in-death-of-california-triathlete-dragged-out-to-sea-in-shark-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909","title":{"rendered":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A California triathlete whose body washed ashore a week after she vanished during a group ocean swim off the Monterey coast was killed in a gruesome shark attack, according to a newly released report.<\/p>\n

Read more Yankees trade disappointing Camilo Doval to Pirates one year after hyped deadline stunner<\/a><\/p>\n

Erica Fox, 55, disappeared in December 2025 while swimming with 14 others in the frigid waters off Monterey. <\/p>\n

A week later, her body was discovered about 25 miles away near Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz County, still partially dressed in her black wetsuit, the report said.<\/p>\n

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner\u2019s office revealed this week that Fox was killed by \u201csharp and blunt force injuries and submersion in water due to a shark attack,\u201d the Monterey Herald reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Authorities said that Fox\u2019s swimsuit and wetsuit were torn where her injuries occurred, with a \u201csemi-circle of tooth wounds\u201d extending from her abdomen to her knees.<\/p>\n

The report said that the single bite from her torso to her legs from the shark fractured her pelvis and \u201csevered a major artery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology with the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, said he suspects the shark thought Fox was a seal or sea lion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only explanation we can come up with in cases like this is that the shark made a mistake,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cIt mistook a person for a seal or a sea lion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a big shark. I think she was probably knocked unconscious immediately. It was a horrible trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fox was participating in a weekly swim with a club she co-founded with her husband Jean-Francis Vanreusel \u2014 called the Kelp Krawlers in Pacific Grove \u2014 when the group feared a \u201clarge splash\u201d was an attacking shark, KSBW reported.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump sternly rebukes Jeanine Pirro\u2019s decision to withdraw charges against alleged Reflecting Pool vandal David Hearn: \u2018I disagree 100%\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

While the other swimmers all made it back to shore, Fox remained missing.<\/p>\n

The autopsy appears to confirm witness reports at the time of seeing a shark with a human body in its jaws before it submerged, per the Coast Guard.<\/p>\n

A post Fox once shared on social media showed a picture of a diver swimming alongside a great white shark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the most DANGEROUS ANIMAL in the world, and by his side, a SHARK swims peacefully,\u201d the post was captioned.<\/p>\n

The Facebook page for the Kelp Crawlers includes photos of Fox and the swimmers in the group with a message at the top that said it\u2019s closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also comments talking about Fox\u2019s tragedy, appearing to back up Lowe\u2019s theory that the shark didn\u2019t know she was a human.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSo Sad About Erica Fox. Has anyone ever investigated developing a wet suit that looks less like, black outline of prey, and maybe like some other thing?\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe a Orcas pattern or have the scent of Orcas come for the wet suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cScientists at Macquarie University recently found that horizontal stripes of steady LED lights placed on the underside of objects can effectively deter great white shark attacks,\u201d another added, noting a report in The LighthouseTechnology Networks.<\/p>\n

Fox\u2019s death is now the third shark attack at Lover\u2019s Point since June 2022, when fellow Kelp Krawler member, Steve Bruemmer, then 62, was bitten on the leg and only survived after he was rescued by nearby paddleboarders, according to Monterey County Now.<\/p>\n

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

California Post News<\/strong>: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports<\/strong> Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post <\/strong>Opinion
California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: Sign up here!
California Post App<\/strong>: Download here!
Home delivery<\/strong>: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: Sign up here!<\/p>\n

Read more Slipknot guitarist Jim Root shares cryptic message after Sid Wilson\u2019s reported firing from band<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fox\u2019s body, found near Davenport Beach, showed \u201csharp and blunt force injuries\u201d and a \u201csemi-circle of tooth wounds\u201d from abdomen to knees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nGruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fox\u2019s body, found near Davenport Beach, showed \u201csharp and blunt force injuries\u201d and a \u201csemi-circle of tooth wounds\u201d from abdomen to knees.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909\"},\"wordCount\":661,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Metro\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909\",\"name\":\"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=5909#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"Fox\u2019s body, found near Davenport Beach, showed \u201csharp and blunt force injuries\u201d and a \u201csemi-circle of tooth wounds\u201d from abdomen to knees.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack","datePublished":"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909"},"wordCount":661,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp","articleSection":["Metro"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909","name":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-01T19:06:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a3e0ecad080de4eada718f170c8e307a.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5909#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gruesome details revealed in death of California triathlete dragged out to sea in shark attack"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}