Swimmer in Southern California seriously injured in shark attack; beaches closed

A 46-year-old man was hospitalized at a Southern California beach around 9 a.m. Sunday after being bitten on the torso, arm and hand, local news reported.

The man was one of about a dozen swimmers who were in the murky water about 100 yards from the beach and were making their way back to shore when the attack occurred. His fellow swimmers helped the man to shore, where lifeguards quickly put on a tornaquet.

“There was a lot of bleeding, so they thought it was probably an artery wound in the left hand and wrist area,” Del Mar city lifeguard John Edelbrock told the San Diego Union Tribune. “He definitely had significant upper body injuries.”

The man’s injuries are said to be serious but not life-threatening, according to local authorities. He was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Beaches were closed one mile north and south of 17th Street, the site of the incident. They will remain closed until 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The attack is the second in the past 16 months in Del Mar, which, like much of northern San Diego County, is home to a significant population of juvenile great white sharks.