Del Mar shark attack brings back 2018 memories for Encinitas survivor – NBC 7 San Diego

Nearly six years ago, a 13-year-old lobster diver was nearly killed by a 12-foot-long great white shark while diving with his friend off Beacon’s Beach in Encinitas.

Keane Hayes, now 19, has a souvenir: the top part of the wetsuit he was wearing at the time of the attack, which still shows the holes left by the great white shark.

“It felt like I had been hit by a truck,” Hayes said.

He managed to swim to a nearby kayak and get into the helping hands of an off-duty Oceanside police officer and lifeguard.

“I think I did a pretty good job selecting these guys,” Hayes said.

Hayes says they saved his life. They calmed him down and quickly brought him to shore.

It took over 1,000 stitches to patch it back together.

“I was really close to death and definitely shouldn’t be alive,” Hayes said.

It’s been a long road back, physically and emotionally, and he’s reminded of that by the recent shark attack in Del Mar.

One of the witnesses who was in the water when a shark attacked a swimmer off the coast of Del Mar described the tense moments. The 46-year-old swimmer was bitten multiple times Sunday morning, but the injuries are not expected to be life-threatening. NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry reports June 3, 2024.

“I feel for them. I understand what they’re going through. Of course, it’s a very scary time and I’ve been through that,” Hayes said.

Despite the near-death experience, Hayes could not give up his true love: the sea. Three months after the attack, he returned there.

“I really enjoy bodysurfing and hanging out on the beach,” Hayes said. “It’s a really cool place, a really magical place.”

He swims, surfs, dives for lobsters and has even taken a shark cage tour.

“They are peaceful creatures. They are in the ocean just looking for food and hanging out,” Hayes said.

His mother would say Hayes has come full circle. Not only is he back in the ocean, but he’s a lifeguard in Encinitas. You may have seen him at his post at Beacon’s Beach all Memorial Day weekend.

“Wow, I did it. I defeated my beast in a way. I’m here to help the public on a beach that means a lot to me, in a place that means a lot to me,” Hayes said.

Hayes graduated from San Marcos High School. He is attending Colorado State University where he is studying business administration and construction management.