The search for a woman missing off the coast of California continues, but some believe she may have been a victim of a shark attack.

The woman was missing just before noon on Dec. 21 near Lovers Point in Monterey Bay, officials at the Coast Guard, Pacific Grove and Monterey said in a statement, according to KFSN.

The statement said the 55-year-old woman “may have encountered a shark” and that helicopters and boats were sent out for the search.

She had been taking part in a weekly open-water swim with a group that meets in that area every Sunday.

Witness said the group entered the water as they typically do, but one person said they saw a “large splash.”

The group left the water since the splash may have been a shark. Everyone but the missing woman returned.

U.S. Coast Guard Officer Christopher Sappey said one witness said they saw a shark with a person in its mouth before it went back under the water, SF Gate reported.

But he added, “I can confirm that there was a reported sighting in the area, however we cannot necessarily correlate this sighting with the missing person as there is no confirming evidence of that.”

Police said shark sightings in that area are rare but do happen and that witness accounts are consistent with a shark attack, KSBW reported.

The beach was closed for the search.

There have been three confirmed shark attacks in California in 2025, USA Today reported. No one was killed.

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