Lifeguards in Del Mar, California, north of San Diego, closed beaches to swimming and surfing after a shark attack Sunday morning.
A 46-year-old man was bitten by a shark on the torso, left arm and hand around 9 a.m., Del Mar authorities said in a news release. He was taken to a La Jolla hospital with significant injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
The attack occurred about 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center on 17th Street, authorities said. The man was in a group of “about a dozen ocean swimmers who meet regularly to train in Del Mar.”
“My understanding is that the patient is stable, he was in the operating room last I heard, so we are very happy and fortunate that he is okay,” Del Mar Chief Lifeguard Jon Edelbrock told FOX 5 San Diego.
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An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train passes pedestrians walking on a beach in Del Mar, California, U.S., on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The beach closures were conducted in accordance with protocols developed by the California Marine Safety Chiefs Association and the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, meaning lifeguards posted signs and closed Del beaches. Sea for swimming and surfing within one mile in both directions of the incident.
The closure area is approximately from 6th Street to North Beach and neighboring jurisdictions have been notified.
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The Del Mar beach closure is in effect until Tuesday morning, city officials said. (Del Mar City)
The water closure is expected to be lifted at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Last week, down the coast toward Los Angeles in Orange County, ocean access was closed to the public in San Clemente due to a shark sighting and close encounter involving a surfer, FOX 11 reported.
People watch the first sunset of the New Year on a beach in Del Mar, California, U.S., on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“When that thing hit me from below, I knew immediately it was a shark. There are people who have been hurt by sharks. And I'm very lucky that it only hit my board,” Evan García told local television. season.
