Shark assaults man throughout marathon Catalina-to-L.A. swim

A 3-to-4-foot-long shark bit a person making an attempt to swim the 20-plus miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro early Tuesday in a “rare attack,” in accordance with authorities.

The finned wrongdoer “nipped” on the unidentified 54-year-old swimmer, inflicting non-life-threatening accidents to the person’s leg and foot, in accordance with Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Adam VanGerpen.

“He was awake and talking and sitting up,” VanGerpen mentioned of the swimmer. “He suffered only mild distress.”

Had the assault resulted in severe accidents, VanGerpen mentioned, the person would have been taken to a trauma heart. Instead, he was despatched to a nontrauma facility.

It was not instantly clear what species of shark was concerned.

The man, who was believed to be collaborating in a long-distance solo swimming competitors, left Catalina round midnight and was sure for San Pedro, in accordance with authorities.

An emergency name was made at 1:37 a.m. and hearth personnel had been knowledgeable a person had been pulled out of the water after being attacked, in accordance with Fire Department authorities.

A trailing boat and crew had been monitoring the person throughout his swim. He was attacked about 12 miles off Catalina, in accordance with authorities.

The LAFD dispatched 4 boats towards the swimmer’s vessel at a pace of about 40 knots. The first hearth boat reached him in about 40 minutes, roughly eight miles from San Pedro.

The sufferer was tended to by two paramedics earlier than arriving on the mainland.

The man advised authorities he and his crew left at midnight to keep away from problems with transport lanes. During the day, Catalina is full of ferries, pleasure craft, cruise ships and cargo vessels.

VanGerpen mentioned he had by no means heard of a shark assault off Catalina in his 25 years with the LAFD.

“It’s pretty rare and I guess we’re all lucky that the shark just nipped at him, didn’t like it and swam away,” he mentioned.