Shark Bites Teenager’s Paddleboard Off Catalina Island

A 15-year-old girl paddle boarding off the coast of Catalina Island over the weekend claims she was nearly bitten by a shark, and she has proof.

The girl was with other paddleboarders about 200 yards from the beach in a remote area of the island on Sunday when a shark bit the front of her paddle board.

A photo of a shark-bitten paddleboard was posted on Twitter by user @danconway:

So...in the next cove over from us on Catalina Island this morning.A great white shark attack. twitter.com/danconway/stat… — dan conway (@danconway) May 6, 2012

The teenager was unscathed, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire department began telling people in the water or those planning to take a dip to use extreme caution. The shark encounter is a rare occurrence, the department added.