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A long-distance swimmer is recovering after a rare shark bite early Tuesday morning during an open water swim from Santa Catalina Island to the Southern California mainland.
The victim, identified only as a man in his 50s, was bitten in the Catalina Channel, a crossing of 20 miles at the shortest two points between the island and mainland coast. The victim suffered minor cuts, injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to fire officials.
A LAFD vessel met the crew of a follow-boat that had been monitoring the swim at about 1:30 a.m. in the middle of the Catalina Channel. The shark, which authorities said was described as a 3- to 4-foot white shark, nipped at the man’s leg and was not seen again by the crew.
The victim, whose injury had already been wrapped when the fire department vessel arrived, was transported to a hospital for treatment.
The cross-channel swim is part of the triple crown of open water swimming, a list that includes the English Channel and the 20 Bridges Swim off Manhattan Island.
“It’s a pretty popular swim for long-distance swimmers,” said LAFD boat pilot Shaun Corby. “This is a super-rare incident. I don’t know what the underlying circumstances were, but shark bites are pretty minimal here.”
Distance is one of only a few challenges for swimmers crossing the Catalina Channel, which is subject to fluctuating temperatures. Swimmers often target midnight starts to avoid strong afternoon winds and currents can be unpredictable.
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Jonathan Lloyd
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