Shark attacks swimmer, beach closure required – WSOC TV

The man, identified by KABC as Caleb, was bitten on the left arm, hand and torso.

Friends helped him get back to land, CNN reported.

Two swimmers told KABC they knew what to do when Caleb screamed for help.

“We heard screaming and you could tell just by the tone of the screaming that it was serious,” said Cameron Whiting. “You have to be aware that you are swimming into an active shark attack and that is scary, but there is no real alternative and he is one of us and we have to catch him.”

They said Caleb hit the shark while trying to escape.

The injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening. He was taken to a hospital in La Jolla for treatment.

“We didn’t know how severe the injuries were, but there was definitely a lot of blood in the water, so we started pulling him in. A surfer came over and gave us his board,” Whiting said. “(I) put him on the board, jumped on him and started paddling in.”

Fortunately, shark experts were on site and immediately explained to the first responders what to do.

“We actually have the Long Beach shark lab here now. It’s a resource for us here in the state, especially in Southern California, to get the latest and best information on how to respond to incidents like this,” Chief Lifeguard John Edelbrock told KNSD.

An emergency doctor was also on the beach and helped to help Caleb.

Eventually the authorities closed the beach.

It is not known what species of shark attacked the man, but there are large numbers of juvenile great white sharks in the Del Mar area.

“What’s interesting is that we’ve been monitoring this location because it’s known as a gathering place for juvenile fish,” Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab, told CNN. “We’ve tagged over 60 sharks there over the years and they’re spotted regularly. Today we spotted four.”

Edelbrock said it was the second shark attack in the area in more than a year.

A woman was bitten in the thigh by a shark in November 2022. She survived. A surfer in nearby Morro Bay was bitten by a great white shark on December 24, 2022 and died.

San Clemente Beach was closed last week after sightings of aggressive sharks.

However, according to marine biologists, shark bites are rare.

“It is certainly important for everyone to know that shark bites are very rare. We can talk about the statistics and compare them with other things, like vending machines falling on people,” Dovi Kacev told KNSD.

“Sharks are known to avoid humans, but every now and then they make mistakes,” Lowe told CNN. “It’s possible that the shark involved in this incident was literally just passing through and had no opportunity to encounter humans.”

Del Mar Beach is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.