(TargetDailyNews.com) – A 46-year-old man swimming at Del Ray City Beach in California is lucky to be alive after a white shark attacked him.
How did he escape? By punching the beast in the face while other swimmers came to his rescue. According to witnesses, the man, whose identity has not been released, was swimming with a group of people when the shark bit his torso, his left arm, and his hand. He was about 90 yards from the shore at Del Ray Beach, near San Diego.
Fellow swimmer Jenna Veal said she was behind the man when the shark attacked and he screamed out for help. “He punched it in the face,” Veal said, adding that the victim had a “gash on his hand” from the shark’s bite.
The group of swimmers got the man back to shore in what Veal said was a “massive, all-hands-on-deck” effort. He was conscious throughout the ordeal, she said, and she believes he will recover. Once ashore, an emergency room physician who happened at the beach administered first aid.
Officials with Del Ray City said the swimmer was experienced in the ocean and spent a lot of time training at the beach. While he suffered serious injuries, they were not life-threatening. The city closed the beach for at least two days after the June 2nd incident.
Swimmers helping the victim got him back to shore on a surfboard at about 9 a.m. when beach lifeguards were just coming on duty for the day. Investigators searched for the shark using a boat and drone but did not find it.
The attacking animal was described as a juvenile “white shark,” which is a species found in waters all over the world.
Experts on shark behavior say the animals get shockingly close to swimmers and surfers every day at beaches near San Diego, but attacks are rare. The county has only recorded 20 “unprovoked” attacks at area beaches since 1926. In fact, being bitten by a shark at Del Ray Beach may be even less likely than in other locations, as the seas near the shore around San Diego are known as “aggregation sites.” These are areas where sharks regularly feed and become accustomed to contact with humans.
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