A man from 3 to 4 feet long bit a man who tries to swim the more than 20 miles from Santa Catalina Island to San Pedro on Tuesday early in a “rare attack,” according to the authorities.
The fault of the fin “bit” the unidentified 54 -year -old swimmer, causing injuries that do not threaten life in the leg of the man, according to the captain of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Adam Vangerpen.
“I was awake and talking and sitting,” Vangerpen said about the swimmer. “He suffered only mild anguish.”
If the attack had resulted in serious injuries, Vangerpen said, the man would have been taken to a trauma center. Instead, it was sent to a non -trauma installation.
It was not clear immediately what shark species were involved.
The man, who believed he participated in a long -distance solo swimming competition, left Catalina around midnight and was destined for San Pedro, according to the authorities.
An emergency call was made at 1:37 AM and fire personnel who had been removed from the water were informed after being attacked, according to the authorities of the Fire Department.
A drag boat and crew were monitoring man during his swimming. He was attacked about 12 miles from Catalina, according to the authorities.
The Lafd sent four ships to the swimmer boat at a speed of approximately 40 knots. The first fire boat reached it in about 40 minutes, approximately eight miles from San Pedro.
The victim was treated by two paramedics before reaching the continent.
The man told the authorities that he and his crew went to midnight to avoid complications with the shipping lanes. During the day, Catalina is full of ferries, pleasure crafts, cruises and cargo containers.
Vangenn said he had never heard of a shark attack against Catalina in his 25 years with the Lafd.
“It's quite rare and I guess we are all lucky that the shark simply stepped on him, he didn't like and swam,” he said.
