Swimmer Attacked by Shark off Catalina Island (Video)

“It sounded like a three-to-four-foot white shark,” said LAFD Fire Boat Pilot, Shaun Corby. “It just nipped at his leg and his foot, then took off. He had minor wounds to his leg, and they were already wrapped up. We just grabbed the victim and transported him back to our station, and transported him to the hospital.”

Corby added: “He was swimming from Catalina to the mainland. It’s a pretty popular thing for long-distance swimmers – one of the big three. So, it’s a pretty common occurrence for people to swim across the channel, not necessarily for this [a shark attack] to happen.”

In reference to the “big three,” as mentioned by Corby, the swim from Catalina Channel is one of 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.

And like Corby mentioned, although juvenile great white sharks are prevalent in southern California waters – especially in the warmer, summer months – attacks on humans are highly uncommon. As for this attack, Corby added it was “super rare.”