The search for a swimmer in California missing after a suspected shark attack Sunday was suspended Monday with no one found, officials said.
The missing woman was Erica Fox, 55, of Pebble Beach, a triathlete who swam with a group of friends in Monterey Bay every Sunday, said her father, James Fox.
"I'm in shock, and I'm kind of numbed by all this, because it was just out of the blue," he said Monday. "Erica was doing something yesterday that she really loved."
The cities of Pacific Grove and Monterey, as well as the Coast Guard, said officials in the area were called to Lovers Point in Pacific Grove for reports of a missing swimmer just after noon Sunday.
Two people who witnessed the event told officials that the missing person may have encountered a shark while swimming offshore, officials said.
"Based on witness statements we believe a shark was involved," Pacific Grove Police Cmdr. Brian Anderson said in an email.
The Coast Guard and police said Monday evening that the search for Fox was suspended after a 15-hour effort that covered 84 square nautical miles.
"The Coast Guard extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones affected by this tragic incident," Coast Guard Capt. Jordan Baldueza of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco said in a statement.
The first report of a shark attack was from a person who was at a nearby stop sign driving to work, Coast Guard spokesperson Christopher Sappey said. That person reported seeing a shark breach the water with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth.
The shark then plunged beneath the waterline without resurfacing, the person reported, according to Sappey.
Sappey said the missing person was swimming among a group of 17 people and was unaccounted for after the fact.
Officials said the rest of the group exited the water shortly afterward, suspecting there had been a shark attack in their group.
Searchers used aircraft, drones, boats and divers to try to find the missing swimmer, said Anderson, the police commander. The agencies involved included the Coast Guard, Pacific Grove police, Monterey Fire and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, as well as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"The missing persons investigation will continue and we are ready to respond if any new information comes forward," Anderson said earlier Monday.
Erica Fox was a swimmer and triathlete who had done two half-Ironmans and numerous other triathlons and who for almost 20 years did an annual triathlon called Escape From Alcatraz, her father said.
"Swimming was her forte. She just loved that," James Fox said.
The swim she was taking part in Sunday involves a group of friends who swim to a buoy in Monterey Bay and then have a tailgate later to enjoy one another's company, her father said. He'd attended as their guest a few times while he was visiting.
"It was really fun to watch," he said.
Lovers Point, in Pacific Grove, and McAbee and San Carlos beaches in Monterey will be closed through Tuesday.
Lovers Point, a small beach in Monterey County, is a popular spot for swimming, boating and other water activities. A swimmer survived an attack by a great white shark in the area in 2022.
Chris Lowe, head of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, said shark attacks remain rare.
"You're generally safe in the water anytime," Lowetold NBC's "TODAY" show. "We just have to remember sharks are always out there. It's their home, and we're guests."
He said people should be careful swimming around dawn and dusk.
Erica Fox's father described her Monday as kind, empathetic and disciplined. She and her husband have been together for 30 years, James Fox said.
"Just an ideal person," he said. "I'm not saying that just because she's my daughter, but that's the way she was — just a wonderful, caring person."