‘Pure Muscle’: Catalina Swimmer Mauled by Great White (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 12:19 PM ET

Earlier this week, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, a swimmer was attacked by a three-to-four-foot great white shark off the coast of Southern California.

Chris Murray, a marathon swimmer from the UK, was attempting the 20-mile crossing from Catalina Island to the mainland, when, only a few hours into his trek, he was bitten multiple times on his hands and feet. A call came into the Los Angeles Fire Department, regarding the attack, around 1:30 am. Murray was transported to the hospital.

Now, a few days after the incident, Murray is telling his tale.

“I don’t know what the bite strength is of a shark,” Murray told KCAL News, “but it’s powerful. It didn’t sever any arteries. It didn’t sever any tendons.”

Murray showed a first-look at his wounds from the nibble, with 20 stitches across his hand. As for his other afflicted appendages? Murray continued:

“My foot is a proper mess.”

The incident happened just two-and-a-half hours into the swim. That’s when:

“And then, just whack,” Murray said. “Straight into my leading left hand. I shook it off. It was wriggling around me a bit. I can just remember it feeling like pure muscle. I felt another attack from the clamp on my foot. And I managed to hit it pretty hard with my heel. That dragged it off. They [his team] got the big search light, and they could see it circling. It was like, ‘you’ve got to get out.’ I didn’t even feel shock; I was really annoyed.”

The swim from Catalina is one of what’s known as the “Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming” achievements. The others include the English Channel (England to France), and a swim around Manhattan Island. According to an online database listing finishers of the Triple Crown, the first to conquer the trifecta was the UK’s Alison Streeter in 1987.

As for whether or not Murray will return to complete the swim, he said:

“Never say never.”

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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