Grim new details have been released following a fatal shark attack that claimed the life of a seasoned triathlete off the Californian coast just days before Christmas.
The Disappearance and Discovery
Erica Fox, 55, vanished on 21 December while swimming with members of the Kelp Krawlers, a recreational swim club she helped to found two decades ago. The group was near Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. Her lifeless body was recovered on Saturday south of Davenport Beach in Santa Cruz, approximately 25 miles from where she disappeared.
Her husband of 30 years, Jean-Francois Vanreusel, confirmed the tragic news after receiving a call from local police. Fox was still wearing her black wetsuit, a white Garmin sports watch, and a protective 'shark band' around her ankle at the time she was found.
The Fatal Swim and Horrifying Sighting
The swim took a terrifying turn when the group of 15 swam west around the point into Otter Cove. According to reports, one club member who returned to shore early spotted a shark roughly 100 yards from the point.
Simultaneously, a driver alerted the U.S. Coast Guard after witnessing a chilling scene. He reported seeing a shark breach the surface with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth, before the predator submerged and did not resurface.
Upon hearing these reports, the remaining swimmers hurried back to their starting point. It was during a headcount that they realised Fox was missing. "It started to click that everybody was back on shore but Erica," fellow Kelp Krawler Sharon Care said. A large-scale search operation involving boats, helicopters, and divers was launched but called off after about 15 hours.
The Limits of Shark Deterrent Technology
Fox was wearing a 'shark band', an electromagnetic device worn on the wrist or ankle designed to repel sharks. These bands use powerful magnets to disrupt the electroreceptive system sharks use to hunt, creating an unpleasant sensation that signals danger.
While studies, such as one titled 'Effectiveness of Shark Deterrents in Reducing Depredation Events in a Recreational Line Fishery', indicate such devices can partially reduce risk, they are not foolproof. The Kelp Krawlers began using the bands after a member survived a great white attack in 2022, but most swimmers understood they offered limited protection against a swift, surprise attack from below.
"She didn’t want to live in fear," Vanreusel said of his adventurous wife. "She lived her life fully." Fox was a dedicated athlete who had competed in two half-Ironman events and had taken part in the annual Escape from Alcatraz triathlon for nearly 20 years.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office stated they are awaiting formal identification from the Coroner's unit before releasing further details. The recovery was ultimately made by Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit using a rope system, after independent search groups continued probing the area.
