Man killed in California shark attack

A shark attacked and killed a man on a boogie board off the California coast near Santa Barbara, local officials said.

The 19-year-old man was boogie-boarding with a friend off Surf Beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base, when a shark between 4-6 metres long pulled the man under water, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department said in a statement, quoting the friend.

The man died shortly afterward from wounds to his leg.

Swimmers hold on to boogie boards to ride waves, while surfers generally stand on their boards.

Shark attacks are extremely rare on the US West Coast, numbering a handful or so every year, according to the Shark Research Committee, a non-profit group that documents attacks.

Surfers were the most frequent victims and Great White Sharks were the most frequent unprovoked attackers. Local beaches will be closed for three days.