Israeli police on Tuesday scoured the Mediterranean coast for a swimmer they fear may have been attacked by a shark in an area that has long seen close encounters between marine predators and beachgoers who sometimes seek them out.

On Monday, police launched a search along the Mediterranean coast after reports that a shark attacked a swimmer on a beach near Hadera

Israeli police have been searching for a man reported missing following a suspected shark attack off the country’s Mediterranean coast, the force said on Tuesday. Shark attacks have not been reported in Israel for decades.