LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A shark bit a chunk out of a surfer's board at Major's Bay on the Pacific Missile Range Facility yesterday morning, but the surfer was not injured.

"A resident on the beach talked to him. He said he was shaken up but thankful that he hadn't been lying on the board," said missile range information officer Tom Clements.

The surfer, who was not identified, reportedly was sitting on his board in clear water fronting the missile range when the shark bit a crescent of foam out of the front half of the board. He left the water immediately after the attack and drove alone off the base.

After he left, a piece of his surfboard washed ashore. Clements said it was a semi-circle with jagged edges, about 13 inches wide and 6 inches deep from the board rim to the middle of the bite.

He said Navy officials will be consulting with county water safety officials about how to handle access to the water after a shark attack. The base was closed to surfing after the attack and will remain closed today.

There was no indication yesterday what kind of shark was involved in the attack. The edges of the board fragment appear to show indentations consistent with large teeth.

The county has closed access in recent weeks to beaches at Kekaha, just south of the Pacific Missile Range Facility, and at Salt Pond Beach Park, after shark sightings at those popular beaches.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.