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Swimmer bitten by shark off San Pedro
A swimmer survives a shark attack off San Pedro.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A long-distance swimmer is recovering after being bitten by a shark while attempting a night swim across the Catalina Channel, officials said.
The rare encounter happened early Tuesday near Doctor's Cove off Catalina Island.
What we know:
The incident occurred around 1:20 a.m. when the vessel Bottom Scratcher, a live-aboard scuba diving boat, left Catalina with the injured swimmer on board. The crew met Los Angeles Fire Department boats mid-channel—about 12 miles from the mainland—and transferred the man to firefighters.
Officials said the victim, 50-year-old Chris Murray, had already been treated on the boat, with wounds to his left foot before being moved to shore.
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Shark bites swimmer in San Pedro
A swimmer is recovering at the hospital after being bitten by a juvenile shark.
He was taken to Fire Station 110 and later transported by ambulance to a hospital, with non-life-threatening injuries.
Murray had set out on a solo attempt to cross the Catalina Channel, a 20.5-mile route considered one of the world’s most challenging marathon swims. Swimmers often begin at night to take advantage of calmer winds and conditions.
According to LAFD boat pilot Shaun Corby, the shark was estimated to be a juvenile great white about three to four feet long and "just nipped at his leg, his foot. And then took off."
This is the first known shark attack in this crossing. The Catalina Crossing is part of the "Triple Crown" – three most prestigious swims. The other two include the English Channel and Ellis Island in New York.
What they're saying:
On the rarity of the event, Corby added: "Obviously, this is a super rare thing. I don’t know what the underlying circumstances were, but it's minimal out here."
He also noted that channel swimmers are typically escorted for safety: "When they swim the channel, they usually have a follow boat that’s right next to them the whole time. I’m pretty sure they had eyes on the shark as it came up."
"On a solo swim there’s one swimmer, a kayak next time to them and the kayak is sitting off the boat, and we try to keep it in a straight line and make it as short as possible for the swim and hopefully they complete," said Catalina Island boat captain David Harvey.
"We’ve seen sharks out there, they get. Little curious come by see what’s going on and then generally leave."
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department.