Man swimming close to Catalina Island bitten by shark

A person swimming off the coast of Catalina Island early Tuesday morning was bitten by a shark.

The man, believed to be in his early 50s, was about 12 miles off Catalina Island doing a preferred long-distance swim from Catalina to the mainland when he was bitten on the foot.

“A 3-to-4-foot white shark nipped at his leg and then took off,” stated Shaun Corby, a fireplace boat pilot.

According to the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, this long-distance problem is a 20-mile open-water crossing from the island again to the mainland. It begins at midnight and is thought for tough currents and large Pacific swells.

The dive boat referred to as Bottom Scratcher, which was escorting him, instantly pulled him from the water, bandaged the harm, and radioed for assist. Around 1:20 a.m., they met the Los Angeles Fire Department boats at sea.

The swimmer was transferred to San Pedro earlier than he was later taken to a hospital.

Fire officers describe the chew as minor and non-life-threatening. They add that this type of incident is extraordinarily uncommon and there are solely about 15 documented shark bites within the LA area since 1950. There are simply over 200 documented bites in the whole state in that point.