A man was bitten by a shark during a popular long-distance channel swim from Catalina Island to the mainland early Tuesday morning.
The 50 to 55-year-old swimmer was about 12 miles off Catalina Island when the incident was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department around 1:30 a.m.
“It sounded like about a three to four-foot white shark just nipped at his leg and his foot and then took off,” LAFD Fireboat Pilot Shaun Corby told KTLA.
Crewmembers aboard the swimmer’s pace boat called in the incident, which occurred about halfway between the island and the mainland.
The unidentified swimmer had already received some treatment aboard the boat when the Fire Department arrived.
“he had minor wounds to his leg, and they were already wrapped up,” Corby said. “We just grabbed the victim and transported him back to our station, and transported him to the hospital.”
Completing the 20-mile Catalina Channel is one of three prestigious accomplishments for long-distance swimmers, Corby said. “This one, the swim around Ellis Island in New York and the English Channel are the three big ones.”
Colby said that being bitten by a shark in this part of the ocean is “super rare.”