Recent shark attack in Southern California prompts investigation
After a shark attack near the 17th Street lifeguard tower in Del Mar left one swimmer hospitalized Sunday, prompting a closure of waters along that stretch of beach. Now, officials are investigating what kind of shark was involved in the attack.
Officials say the 46-year-old victim bitten by the shark around 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center at 17th Street in Del Mar, about 20 miles north of San Diego.
The man, who was with a dozen other ocean swimmers who regularly meet at the beach to train, was pulled from the water by several members of the group.
“He had very little ability to help himself,” Del Mar Lifeguard Chief Jon Edelbrock told KTLA’s Chip Yost. “There was a person on either side of him keeping him upright, kind of a modified carry. I think without those two assisting him that he wasn’t going to be able to move himself.”
Now, the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach is looking into the attack to try and determine whether it involved a great white shark, which was initially reported by witnesses.
“We’re not a prey item for any species of shark, so in most cases the shark will either bite out of curiosity or mistaken identity and then immediately release the person,” said Zach Merson, a field technician with the CSULB Shark Lab.
Merson added that they obtained DNA samples from swimmer’s wetsuit they plan to test to determine what type of shark was involved in the incident.
Unfortunately, they will not be able to tell if it is the same shark involved in attack in San Clemente on May 27. In that case, a surfer said he was knocked off his board by an aggressive shark.
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Still, Merson says the incident in Del Mar should be considered rare.
“The number of people in the water and the number of sharks in the water have been rising dramatically over the past few decades,” he explained. “There’s been no real increase in bite rate, which says to us that the sharks and the people are learning to co-exist.”
Officials said that if there are no other shark sightings, the waters off the Del Mar beach will be reopened Tuesday morning.
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