<p><br /> A shark attacked and killed a man on a boogie board off the California coast near Santa Barbara, local officials said.<br /> </p><p><br /> 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.<br /> </p><p><br /> The man died shortly afterward from wounds to his leg.<br /> </p><p><br /> Swimmers hold on to boogie boards to ride waves, while surfers generally stand on their boards.<br /> </p><p><br /> 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.<br /> </p><p><br /> Surfers were the most frequent victims and Great White Sharks were the most frequent unprovoked attackers. Local beaches will be closed for three days.<br /> </p>
