Yahoo News California Shark Attack Survivor Recounts Harrowing Ordeal: 'I Tussled with the Animal’
“When I was swimming him in, the blood was just pouring out of his chest," added a friend who helped rescue Caleb Adams
A California man said he’s very thankful to have survived a shark attack, which left him with injuries to his torso, left arm and hand.
According to a news statement from the City of Del Mar, California, the victim, later identified as Caleb Adams, 46, was swimming on June 2 when the attack occurred about 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center at 17th Street.
Adams was discharged from a hospital four days later and recovering from home, per the statement.
Recalling his terrifying encounter while speaking with Today, Adams said he was swimming with members of a swimmers group when he felt something hit his body.
“I knew I had been hit by a shark,” he said, adding that he then “tussled with the animal."
“The second time I struck the animal and I felt a softer tissue," he continued. "I am going to speculate that that was inside the shark’s mouth. And I had several cuts on my hand and wrist.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Added pal Kevin Barnett, “When I was swimming him in, the blood was just pouring out of his chest."
Following the attack, the City of Del Mar announced a “48-hour closure of the ocean for swimming and surfing along a two-mile stretch from 6th Street to North Beach.”
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks on humans worldwide in 2023. Of those, 36 occurred in the U.S., with Florida leading all states with 16.
On June 7, three people were injured in two separate shark attacks on Florida beaches. Authorities and media reports said a woman, 45, was swimming near the first sandbar at Watersound Beach when she was bitten by a shark.
Later that day, two teenaged girls were swimming in approximity of the first sandbar at Seacrest Beach when a shark attacked them, officials added.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
