Shark attacks man, 46, in San Diego water as eyewitnesses recall horrifying moment swimmer punched animal: ‘There was a lot of blood’
- A swimmer has been seriously injured in a shark attack off the coast of California
- The 46-year-old man was attacked on Del Mar City Beach on Sunday morning
- He was rescued by two heroic lifeguards who were just getting ready for their shift
Two heroic lifeguards have recalled the horrific moment a swimmer was attacked by a shark near the coast California coast before they rushed to save him.
The swimmer, a 46-year-old man identified as Caleb, was seriously injured in the attack at Del Mar City Beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of San Diego.
A bloodthirsty shark bit his torso, left arm and hand during the frenzied attack just before 8am on Sunday, just as lifeguards were preparing for the day about 100 meters away.
“We didn’t know the extent of the injuries, but there was definitely a lot of blood in the water,” lifeguard Kevin Barrett said. ABC7.
A swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack on the Southern California coast on Sunday, prompting temporary beach closures, authorities said
Together with his colleague Cameron Whiting, Barrett took action to save the swimmer.
‘We heard some shouting. You could tell by the tone of the shouting that it was serious,” Barrett recalled.
“You have to realize that you’re going to be in an active shark attack and that’s scary,” he added.
“But there’s not really an alternative, and he’s one of us and we have to bring him in.”
Whiting said the swimmer punched the shark in the face in retaliation.
Two hero lifeguards recall the horrific moment a swimmer was attacked by a shark off the coast of California last weekend before rushing to save him
The swimmer, a 46-year-old man identified as Caleb, was seriously injured in the attack at Del Mar City Beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of San Diego.
“When he hit it, he caught the shark on the tooth, so he had a pretty big cut on his hand, which was also bleeding profusely,” Whiting told ABC7.
“We started pulling him in,” Barrett added. “A surfer came by and gave us his board, and so we put him on the board and I jumped on top of him and started paddling in.”
“There was even an ER doctor who happened to be walking by on the beach,” Whiting said.
‘He helped too. I think all the stars aligned to help Caleb through this.”
Caleb was described by officials as an ocean swimmer who regularly trains at the beach. He was treated at hospital for significant but non-life-threatening injuries.
Chief Lifeguard and Community Services Director Jonathan Edelbrock said Caleb had been swimming with about a dozen other people when he was attacked.
Caleb was described by officials as an ocean swimmer who regularly trains at Del Mar beach (pictured)
No one had seen the shark when the attack occurred, Edelbrock said.
The city also deployed a drone and a boat to search for the shark without success.
“The visibility of the water was really poor,” he said. ‘You just don’t see anything moving through the water column.
“The exact moment of the incident was actually the only interaction with or sighting of the shark.”
Authorities said the beach will remain closed to surfers and swimmers until Tuesday morning.
It’s unknown what type of shark it was, but Caleb’s wetsuit was taken to a lab for testing to find out.
