A kayaker was bitten twice by a shark off the Southern California coast on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The kayaker was fishing by Paradise Cove, which is along the Malibu coast, when he caught a “large shark on his fishing line,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department told the USA TODAY Network on Monday, Oct. 5.
The kayaker was attacked while he was trying to release the shark. Authorities received the call for a possible shark bite at approximately 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
The kayaker had two bites to his leg, the county fire department said. An unnamed manager of a restaurant along the beach told KTLA that the victim had teeth marks on his lower leg and above the knee.
The county fire department said that “another vessel assisted the individual and brought him
to shore, where he was treated by lifeguards and transported to the hospital.”
ABC7 reported that the county fire department “initially called it a shark attack, but later said it was a fishing accident.”
There have been four shark incidents this year in California, one of which occurred in San Diego County, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife database as of its July update.
CDFW defines a shark incident as an instance in which a shark approached and touched a person in the water, or touched their surfboard or kayak. It doesn’t include instances in which sharks approached boats or when hooked sharks caused an injury.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kayaker bitten by shark in SoCal. What we know
