Likely Shark Attack Victim ID'd, Remembered By Bay Area Friends

POINT REYES STATION, CA — A swimmer who went missing last weekend after a reported shark attack off Wildcat Beach has been identified as authorities scale back recovery efforts.

A multi-agency rescue operation assembled on the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County on Oct. 1 after witnesses reported seeing a shark in the area. The initial response included teams from the land, sea, and air from the U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, Marin County Fire Department, and Marin County Sheriff's Office.

The operation shifted to a recovery mission by Monday and was formally scaled back on Friday.

In a news release, the National Park Service identified the missing swimmer as Felix Louis N'Jai, 52, a Gambian national living in San Francisco. He was last seen approximately 100 feet from the shore and was swimming with two friends shortly before disappearing.

According to the New York Post, N'Jai was celebrating a friend's wedding and was camping nearby. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that N'jai studied computer engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and first came to San Francisco about 20 years ago. His LinkedIn page listed him as CEO of technology incubator Eniac Labs.

Friends told KTVU that N'Jai was an experienced kite surfer who had been training for the Olympics before tragedy stuck. A witness reported seeing the shark grab him and drag him beneath the water.

"The idea that there is no trace to be found of Felix is haunting," David Thawley, a longtime friend of N'Jai told the Chronicle. "It's grotesque that something so improbable and so dark is what consumed something that was such a bright light."

"I will remember the kind of passion that he had for life," Erika Heineken, another of N'Jai's friends, told NBC Bay Area. "I saw it every moment that I was around him, and I think that is something I definitely strive to do more of."