Royce Fraley has surfed the unforgiving, storm-swelled waves of Northern California for three decades, and also — by chance — explored the hunting habits and appetites of great white sharks.
But this holiday season he’s spending time ashore in Guerneville with his wife and their two young children. He hasn’t been surfing since his latest brush with fate. Two weeks ago, he became one of the world’s few surfers to have survived two separate shark attacks — the latest incident involving a shark that pulled him at least 15 feet below the surface.
“I’m not chomping at the bit to get back into the water,” Fraley, 43, told The Chronicle. “I had an offer to go surfing with a buddy last Sunday, and I declined. I’m definitely taking a break and enjoying my family. … If my feet were dangling down, I might not even have a leg or be here today. It’s made me more respectful of my life and my family.”