A friend says the victim of a shark attack punched him in the face before he could be rescued

A man who survived multiple shark bites while swimming at a popular California beach on Sunday punched the predator in the nose before being rescued by quick-thinking fellow swimmers, an eyewitness said.

The 46-year-old man was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla around 9 a.m. Sunday after suffering bites to his left hand, left arm and upper torso, the city of Del Mar, north of San Diego, said in a statement.

The injuries were serious but not life-threatening, the statement said. Almost the entire stretch of beach was closed after the attack.

The victim is part of an experienced ocean swimming group that trains weekly. Jenna Veal, one of the group who was in the water directly behind the man during the attack, said on NBC’s “TODAY” program Monday that she heard him screaming for help.

“He punched him in the face, he punched him in the nose,” she said. “I know he had a cut on his hand from a shark’s tooth.”

The swimmers quickly began to bring the man back to shore, where a passing emergency doctor stopped to help.

“Today there is a massive relief effort with everyone pitching in,” Veal said. The man was conscious the whole time, she said, and is expected to recover.

In the images shared by Beal, the man can be seen lying on a stretcher, still wearing a swimming cap, being cared for by paramedics while concerned swimmers look on.

“When we saw the guy swimming back, we were really shocked,” another eyewitness told TODAY.

Jon Edelbrock, Del Mar lifeguard chief, told TODAY that one of the swimmers was equipped with his own tourniquet, although it is unclear if it was used.

The attack forced the closure of beaches within a one-mile radius and shocked many experienced beachgoers. “I’ve never seen a shark sign or heard of an incident happening here,” one told TODAY.

The risk of unprovoked shark bites remains extremely low worldwide.

Experts say the best way swimmers can reduce their risk is to stay in a group at all times, be especially careful near sandbars and steep drop-offs, and avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight.

Unprovoked shark attacks are rare: Last year there were only 36 attacks in the United States, including two in California, one of which was fatal, according to the International Shark Attack File of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The beach will remain closed until at least tomorrow.