Lifeguards in Del Mar, California, north of San Diego, have closed their beaches to swimming and surfing following a shark attack Sunday morning.
Del Mar authorities said in a press release that a 46-year-old man was bitten by a shark on his torso, left arm and hand around 9 a.m. The man was taken to a La Jolla hospital with serious injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Authorities said the attack happened about 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center on 17th Street and that the man was with a group of “approximately a dozen beachgoers who meet regularly to practice in Del Mar.”
“My understanding is the patient is stable and the last I heard he was in the operating room, so we’re very pleased and blessed that he’s OK,” Del Mar Lifeguard Chief John Edelbrock told FOX 5 San Diego.
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An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train passes in front of pedestrians walking along the waterfront in Del Mar, California, USA, Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Bing Guang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The beach closures were conducted according to protocols established by the California Association of Ocean Safety Officers and the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, which meant lifeguards posted signs and closed Del Mar Beach to swimming and surfing within a mile in both directions of the incident site.
The closure area extends from approximately 6th Avenue to North Beach, and neighboring jurisdictions have been notified.
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The Del Mar Beach closure will continue through Tuesday morning, city officials said. (City of Del Mar)
The water outage is scheduled to be lifted at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The ocean off San Clemente has been closed to the public after shark sightings and close encounters with surfers along the Orange County coast towards Los Angeles last week, FOX 11 reported.
People watch the first sunset of the new year on the beach in Del Mar, California, USA, Friday, January 1, 2021. (Bing Guang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“When it hit me from below I knew right away it was a shark. There are people out there who have been attacked and injured by sharks. I was really lucky that only my board was injured,” Evan Garcia told local TV station.
