Shark attacks 46-year-old man on California beach

(NewsNation) — A 46-year-old man was attacked by a shark in Del Mar, California, forcing lifeguards to close beaches in the area to swimming and surfing.

According to the City of Del Mar, the incident occurred around 9 a.m. just 100 yards offshore. The swimmer was participating in regular training with about a dozen other swimmers when a shark bit him on the torso, left arm and hand. The injuries are described as non-life-threatening, and the swimmer is expected to survive.

This comes as a warning system that alerts swimmers to nearby sharks is set to go offline this summer if lawmakers in Sacramento, California, do not approve more funding for research at Cal State Long Beach.

Because of the attack, safety experts are reminding beachgoers to heed local warnings as the summer vacation season begins. Warning signs have now been posted along the beach in Del Mar.

Nevertheless, unprovoked shark attacks are rare. In 2023, there were only two in California, one of which was fatal. Florida has the most incidents, but significant numbers are also reported from Hawaii and South Carolina.

“It’s amazing that we have so many people in the water around sharks all the time and yet nothing happens. So obviously accidents happen, and that’s why they’re called ‘accidents,'” Dr. Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, told NewsNation.

“We can determine whether it is a great white shark or not by taking swabs from the wetsuit. Additionally, we can take water samples and detect great white shark DNA in the water,” Lowe explained.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shark behavior is changing due to rising ocean temperatures around the world. The warmer water changes sharks’ metabolism, causing them to search for food more frequently.