Swimmer suffers ‘serious’ injury in shark attack in Del Mar

A 46-year-old swimmer was attacked by a shark early Sunday and suffered “significant” injuries, prompting authorities to close a 3.2-kilometer stretch of beach to swimmers and surfers as a precautionary measure.

The attack was reported around 9 a.m., about 100 yards offshore from the main lifeguard tower on 17th Street, officials said.

The man was bitten while swimming with a group of ocean swimmers who regularly meet at the site, said Chief Lifeguard and Community Services Director Jonathan Edelbrock.

Del Mar lifeguards have closed area beaches to swimming and surfing.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment. He suffered bite wounds to his upper body, left arm and hand.

No one saw the shark before the attack, but observers believe it may have been a juvenile great white shark.

“Visibility is terrible today, there’s hardly any sunlight and there was some kind of red tide, so the water is pretty murky,” Edelbrock said.

“Everyone was stunned. No one reported seeing a shark in the area.”

Scientists at the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach planned to collect DNA, measure the diameter of the bite and test the swimmer’s wetsuit to find out more details about the shark. They also planned to take water samples.

Officials said lifeguards planned to put up signs warning users not to enter the water. The closures stretch from Sixth Street to North Beach and will remain in effect through Tuesday morning.

Lifeguards also notified neighboring jurisdictions.

The last shark bite reported in Del Mar occurred on Nov. 4, in roughly the same area as Sunday’s attack. In that case, a 50-year-old woman who was swimming with a friend was bitten on the thigh. She was hospitalized and treated for puncture wounds and lacerations.

In an interview at the hospital a few days after the attack, Lyn Jutronich told ABC 10 News she felt a “really hard smack” between her legs as the shark pushed her up and out of the water. After latching onto her right leg, Jutronich said, it shook her once “like a dog” before releasing her.