A woman swimming off the coast of Monterey Bay over the weekend vanished after witnesses say she may have encountered a shark, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The woman was swimming with a group on Sunday afternoon when \u201ctwo witnesses indicated the swimmer may have encountered a shark while swimming offshore near Lovers Point,\u201d the U.S. Coast Guard and cities of Pacific Grove and Monterey said in a joint media statement.<\/a> \u201cBy 8:00 p.m., the swimmer was still not sighted.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman was swimming with a group when a witness reported seeing a \u201clarge splash\u201d that prompted the group to all come to shore, Pacific Grove Police Commander Brian Anderson told SFGate<\/a>. <\/p>\n Once they were on shore the group realized that the missing woman, who is 55, was no longer with them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe person who reported the shark sighting claimed they saw a shark breach the water with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth,\u201d Anderson told SFGate. \u201cThey then witnessed the shark submerge below the waterline without resurfacing.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson said he can confirm reports of a shark sighting in the area but there is no evidence the missing swimmer was attacked by a shark, SFGate reported. <\/p>\n The Times reached out to the Pacific Grove Police Department but the agency directed all questions to the U.S. Coast Guard. <\/p>\n Members of the Pacific Grove Police Department, Monterey County Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Monterey County Sheriff\u2019s Office and California State Parks have all been searching for the missing swimmer. <\/p>\n The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco as well as a small boat from its Monterey station to search for the swimmer Monday, said Chris Sappey, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. <\/p>\n The family of the swimmer has been notified of the situation, authorities said. <\/p>\n