“I wrestled with the animal”

“When I swam him in, blood was just pouring out of his chest,” added a friend who helped rescue Caleb Adams.

A California man said he was grateful to have survived a shark attack that left him with injuries to his upper body, left arm and hand.

According to a press release from the city of Del Mar, California, the victim, later identified as 46-year-old Caleb Adams, was swimming on June 2 when the attack occurred about 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center on 17th Street.

Adams was released from the hospital four days later and is recovering at home, the statement said.

Recalls his terrible encounter in conversation with TodayAdams said he was swimming with members of a swim team when he felt something hit his body.

“I knew I had been attacked by a shark,” he said, adding that he then “wrestled with the animal.”

“When I hit the animal the second time, I felt softer tissue,” he continued. “I suspect it was in the shark’s mouth. And I had several cuts on my hand and wrist.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

His friend Kevin Barnett added: “When I swam him in, blood was just pouring out of his chest.”

Related topics: How to prevent a shark attack and what to do if you get bitten? An expert from the American Lifeguard Association speaks out

Following the attack, the city of Del Mar announced a “48-hour closure of the ocean to swimming and surfing along a two-mile stretch from 6th Street to North Beach.”

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks on humans worldwide in 2023. Of these, 36 occurred in the United States, with Florida leading all states with 16 attacks.

On June 7, three people were injured in two shark attacks on Florida beaches. According to authorities and media reports, a 45-year-old woman was swimming near the first sandbar at Watersound Beach when she was bitten by a shark.

Related topics: Mother of teenager in rare double shark attack gives update on her daughter’s condition after leg amputation: “Lulu is here”

Later that day, two teenage girls were swimming near the first sandbar at Seacrest Beach when they were attacked by a shark, officials added.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive more People news!

Read the original article on People.