CA swimmer who went missing after reported shark sighting identified

The swimmer who went missing off Point Reyes National Seashore on Oct. 1 after witnesses reported seeing a shark in the water was identified as Felix Louis N’jai by Latitude 38, an online magazine for West Coast sailors.

N’jai was an avid kite surfer and highly experienced in navigating ocean waters. While at the park camping for a wedding, he went swimming on Sunday with a group, according to Latitude 38 on Wednesday. He was the CEO at ENIAC Labs, according to LinkedIn. The Marin County Coroner Division and the National Park Service have yet to officially identify N’jai.

A swimmer was reported missing to national park officials at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 1, said Christine Beekman, a spokesperson for Point Reyes. Two witnesses who were in the water swimming with the missing man off Wildcat Beach said they saw a shark before he disappeared, Beekman said. “There was a shark sighted and then there was no more sighting of the missing swimmer,” she said.

Beekman could not comment on how far the swimmers were off shore, but said the witnesses reported that it took them 45 seconds to return to shore. There was no report of the shark’s size, according to Beekman.  

Search crews have been searching for N’jai since Saturday. Five members of Marin County Search and Rescue walked the shore at Wildcat Beach on Thursday and an NPS helicopter flew over the area. “Nothing was found,” Beekman said. “Plans for additional search and recovery efforts are minimal.”

It’s not clear what kind of shark may have been involved in the incident. White sharks are observed in Point Reyes, which is located northwest of San Francisco, most frequently in August, September and October, months that coincide with migration season for male California sea lions and the period in the fall when juvenile northern elephant seals haul out, according to the National Park Service. 

“The surfing community is completely aware of the whereabouts of these sharks on an annual basis,” said Scot Anderson, a researcher and member of the California Great White Project. “They understand that in the months of September and October, October is the peak. Those white sharks that were offshore are now back near to shore looking for seals.”

Anderson said Wildcat Beach is located near Double Point, which is home to the Bay Area’s largest seal rookery. Sharks come to the area for food.

Since 1950, 16 shark-related incidents have been reported in Marin County, John Ugoretz, a shark expert with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, previously told SFGATE. Nine of them were in the vicinity of Tomales Point, two were at Dillon Beach, two were at Stinson Beach and three more were at Limantour Beach, Drake’s Estero and Point Reyes, respectively. All of the incidents were attributed to white sharks, Ugoretz said, describing them as “the most likely species to bite a person in this region.” None of the attacks were fatal, he noted. 

SFGATE senior reporter Amanda Bartlett contributed to this story.