Kayaker bitten by shark after accidentally hooking it while fishing off Malibu
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A man was bitten by a shark Sunday morning while fishing two miles off Paradise Cove in Malibu, California, according to lifeguards.
The unidentified kayaker had hooked a shortfin mako shark at around 7:30 a.m. and brought it onto the vessel, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. The shark bit the angler as he tried to free it, knocking him into the water.
“The shark bit him, he let the shark go and then the shark came back and knocked him off the boat and attacked him again and bit his leg again,” lifeguard Alex Buford told the outlet.
The shark allegedly jumped out of the water and into the kayak to bite the fisherman a second time, the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe manager, who did not provide his name, told KTLA. The fisherman’s girlfriend, a retired lifeguard, called 911 to coordinate emergency assistance.
Passengers on a nearby fishing boat pulled the victim to safety following the attack, according to Buford. Emergency personnel and lifeguards met the boat at shore around 8:30 a.m. and transported the man to a local hospital.
“He was bitten in two places,” the cafe manager told KTLA. “I saw there were some teeth marks on his lower leg and above the knee.”
He added: “We’ve had a lot of crazy stuff happen here, but we’ve never had a shark attack like that. He was able to walk from his kayak, with help, but you could definitely see the teeth marks.”
The severity of his injuries and his current medical condition remain unknown.
Before the attack, the shark was believed to be a shortfin mako, Buford said.
Shortfin mako sharks naturally inhabit the waters off Malibu and were historically targeted by California commercial fisheries, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The fast, aggressive predators grow to an average length of 6 to 7 feet and are considered dangerous due to their size, power and speed.
However, officials indicated the encounter posed little threat to beachgoers.
“Mako sharks typically stay in deeper water, so I don’t think there’s too much concern for shallow water swimming or anything,” Buford said. “That’s why we haven’t closed down (the beach).”
The incident follows a recent surge in regional shark activity.
In August, a hammerhead shark circled the Malibu pier after taking an angler’s bait before spitting it out and swimming away. Last month, anglers off Malibu and Santa Barbara Island reported seeing a giant whale shark — a rare occurrence likely prompted by warmer waters associated with El Niño.
