Sometimes the surfer catches a gnarly wave, and other times a shark catches the surfer. Luckily for one California surfer, a shark swimming in San Mateo County waters over the weekend managed to get only a sample of his surfboard.

Shark attacks in California are exceptionally rare, averaging fewer than two incidents per year across the state over the last decade, according to the California Academy of Sciences. Heller said he believed he was attacked by a white shark, which is the primary species involved in nearly all unprovoked attacks in California.