ENCINITAS, Calif. — A teenage boy has been bitten by a shark at a Southern California beach. The attack occurred around 7 a.m. Saturday at Beacon’s Beach in Encinitas, north of San Diego, KSWB-TV reports.
Witness Chad Hammel told the TV station the victim was lobster diving. Hammel said he heard screaming and then realized the boy was yelling, “I got bit!” Hammel was also lobster diving with a group, and they pulled the boy onto a kayak and headed to shore as the shark followed.
The group applied pressure to the wounds while beachgoers called paramedics, who put the victim in a helicopter.
Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles said the 13-year-old boy suffered traumatic injuries, but he described it as a nonfatal attack. Giles said the rescuers were an off-duty police officer, an off-duty and a third person who were also lobster diving.
Witnesses estimated the shark was about 11 feet long, but Giles said the species hasn’t been determined.
California’s spiny lobster season opened at 6 a.m. Saturday. Authorities closed off several miles of beach following the attack.
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