Incidents where sharks bite humans are extremely rare in California. While they don't typically prey on humans, sharks may pose a threat if you meet them on their "turf" (or maybe in this case "surf"). Since 1950, there have been more than 200 shark incidents in California involving all species of sharks, at least 187 of which involved white sharks. Of those, 16 were fatal and all of the fatalities likely involved white sharks. 

A shark incident is defined as any documented case where a shark approached and touched a person in the water, or touched a person’s surfboard, kayak, paddleboard, etc. This summary does not include shark sightings where no contact occurred, instances where sharks approached boats, or cases where hooked sharks caused injury or damage. 

It is important to note that while human beach use and ocean activities have greatly increased due to the growing population and greater popularity of surfing, swimming, and scuba diving, shark incidents have not increased proportionally. This is even more evident when looking at incidents where a person was injured.