A swimmer who disappeared off a Monterey County beach Sunday in a possible shark attack was identified as a 55-year-old triathlete who loved the ocean.

The person was Erica Fox, a Pebble Beach resident, co-founder of the Kelp Krawlers open-water swimming group and a triathlete who completed two Half Ironmans and numerous other triathlons, according to authorities, her father and a Kelp Krawlers member.

“I’m in shock, and I’m kind of numbed by all this, because it was just out of the blue,” her father, James Fox, told NBC News on Monday. “Erica was doing something yesterday that she really loved.”

Two witnesses told authorities Fox possibly encountered a shark off Lovers Point Beach, a popular spot for kayakers and swimmers. The first report came from a driver at a stop sign who said they saw a shark breach the water with what looked like a human body in its mouth. The witness then saw the shark submerge below the waterline and not resurface, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A search for Fox that began Sunday afternoon was suspended Monday afternoon. The search, which involved the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies, covered more than 84 square nautical miles for more than 15 hours, authorities said.

On Sunday, Fox was part of a group of about 15 swimmers who swam west around Lovers Point into Otter Cove. Fox took a wider route on her swim back toward the beach, Monterey County Now reported.

The conditions were clear, with good visibility, according to Sara Rubin, who was part of the group. Rubin, who also is Monterey County Weekly’s editor, published an account, in which she said she was unaware of the tragedy until after she returned to shore, where firefighters had shown up to check on a report of a shark sighting. The group quickly realized Fox was missing, Rubin said.

Rubin described Fox as a “bright light” who was “quick to laugh and seemed to be always smiling.”

Fox and a friend started swimming off Lovers Point on Sundays some 20 years ago, Rubin said.

“She developed a deeply intimate relationship with the Pacific Ocean not by studying it or by looking at it, but by getting into it — again and again and again, on choppy days and gloriously calm days, logging what I can only guess are thousands of miles.”

Rubin added: “There’s a feeling of shock to lose someone so vital, and a grief resonating through the community of swimmers she helped create,” she said. “My heart aches for everyone who knew Erica, including everyone who she helped learn to love the ocean.”

For about 20 years, Fox completed Escape From Alcatraz, an annual triathlon in San Francisco, her father said.

“Swimming was her forte. She just loved that,” James Fox told NBC News.

He described his daughter as kind, empathetic and disciplined.

A small boat crew and multiple helicopter crews from the Coast Guard assisted the Pacific Grove Police Department and other agencies with the search before it was called off Monday.

“On behalf of the cities of Monterey and Pacific Grove and our first responders, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to Erica’s family and loved ones,” Monterey Fire Chief Andrew Miller said in the statement. “This is a deeply felt tragedy for our community.”

Police said the investigation will continue.

“While coordinated search operations have concluded, detectives will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the disappearance,” said Commander Brian Anderson of the Pacific Grove Police Department. “We remain committed to determining what happened and following every available lead.”

While shark attacks are rare, Lovers Point was the site of prior shark encounters, including a 2022 incident in which a shark bit another Kelp Krawlers swimmer in the leg. The man survived, according to Monterey County Now.

Lovers Point and nearby beaches remained closed through Tuesday.