Search continues for Kelp Krawlers co-founder after suspected shark attack in Pacific Grove.

UPDATE: The search was suspended on Monday afternoon, Dec. 22.

The Pacific Grove Police Department and Monterey Fire Department responded to reports of a missing swimmer off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove at 12:04pm Sunday, Dec. 21, after witnesses reported seeing a human-shark encounter.

A search-and-rescue operation involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and California State Parks continued until 8pm, but the swimmer was not found. Search efforts resumed at 7am Monday, Dec. 22.

The missing swimmer is Erica Fox, 55, co-founder of the Kelp Krawlers swimming group, which she helped start 20 years ago. Fox was one of about 15 people swimming with the group Sunday morning, according to Sara Rubin, one of the swimmers present and the Weekly’s editor.

“She is as experienced and strong of a swimmer as they come,” Rubin says. 

Fox is a successful triathlete who has excelled in swimming, bicycling and running, and is known among her fellow swimmers for her positive attitude.

The Kelp Krawlers group entered the water from Lovers Point Beach at 11:30am, Rubin says. The group swam west around Lovers Point into Otter Cove. Fox took a wider route on her return swim back toward the beach. Besides the Kelp Krawlers, several snorkelers and other people were recreating in the water at the time, according to Rubin.

Just after noon, one swimmer who had already exited the water reported seeing what he believed was a shark off the point. A man unaffiliated with the swimming group who was driving by called 911 to report a shark in the water.

An incident command post was established at the Lovers Point beach parking lot. Officials closed the beach and brought all those recreating out of the water; some Kelp Krawlers were escorted out by two members of the group on a stand-up paddle board and in a pack-raft. 

The group of swimmers then worked with the Fire Department officials to review the number and identities of swimmers that had exited the water, and discovered that Fox was not accounted for. 

Five Pacific Grove Police Department personnel responded, including a commander and officers. A total of 16 Monterey Fire Department personnel responded to the incident, including a chief officer and the Monterey Fire Department’s fire boat. 

Additionally, a small boat crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Monterey, and multiple helicopter air crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco participated in the search.

Many members of the search team were called off at nightfall at about 5pm. Helicopter crews kept searching with a light until they suspended their search at 8pm. 

Members of the Kelp Krawlers, including Fox's husband, stayed on the scene until dark on Sunday, and many returned on Monday morning to await any news from the search team. 

Several other shark incidents have occurred around this area in recent years. Steve Bruemmer, another swimmer with the Kelp Krawlers group, was bitten by a great white shark just off of the point on June 22, 2022 and survived severe injuries. A paddle-boarder, David Stickler, and his dog escaped a shark attack at Lovers Point in August 2022. That same year, in October, surfer Jim Affinito of Prunedale experienced a shark ramming into the bottom of his surfboard while surfing near Otter Point in Pacific Grove.

Beaches in the area includes Lovers Point, McAbee Beach off Cannery Row in Monterey and San Carlos Beach in Monterey, remain closed until Tuesday, Dec. 22. 

A beach advisory will remain in place for Asilomar State Beach, Monterey Municipal Beach, Del Monte Beach and Monterey State Beach through Tuesday, Dec. 23.