Recent shark attack in Southern California triggers investigation

A shark attack near the lifeguard tower on 17th Street in Del Mar left a swimmer hospitalized on Sunday, prompting the closure of waters along that stretch of beach. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine what type of shark was involved in the attack.

Officials say the 46-year-old victim, who was bitten by the shark about 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center at 5 p.m.^th Street in Del Mar, about 20 miles north of San Diego.

The man, who was with a dozen other ocean swimmers who regularly meet at the beach for training, was pulled from the water by several members of the group.

“He was barely able to help himself,” Del Mar Lifeguard Chief Jon Edelbrock told KTLA’s Chip Yost. “There was a person on either side of him holding him upright, kind of a modified carry. I think without the help of those two, he would have been able to move himself.”

The Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, is currently investigating the attack to determine whether it was an encounter with a great white shark, as initially reported by witnesses.

“We are not prey for any species of shark, so in most cases the shark will bite out of curiosity or confusion and then immediately let go,” said Zach Merson, a field technician with the CSULB Shark Lab.

Merson added that they had taken DNA samples from a swimmer’s wetsuit and would be examining them to determine what species of shark was involved in the incident.

Unfortunately, they cannot say if this is the same shark that was attacked in San Clemente on May 27. In that case, a surfer said he was knocked off his board by an aggressive shark.

However, according to Merson, the incident in Del Mar is considered rare.

“The number of people in the water and the number of sharks in the water have increased dramatically over the last few decades,” he explained. “There has been no real increase in the bite rate, which to us means that the sharks and the people are learning to coexist.”

Officials said the waters off Del Mar Beach would reopen Tuesday morning if no more sharks were spotted.