A long-distance male swimmer who was attacked by a Great White Shark near the Manhattan Beach Pier on Saturday morning said he "saw the eyes of the shark" in the two seconds before it sank its teeth into his body, ABC News reported. He is currently recovering after having suffered several puncture wounds.
The seven-foot shark bit Steve Robles, who was training 60 feet off the Los Angeles County shore for a two-mile swim, at about 9:30 a.m. with a group of friends, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Twitter page. Roughly 40 minutes prior to the attack, the shark had been "hooked" by a fisherman and was allegedly in a state of panic, Los Angeles Times reported.
Robles said he went into shock when he "felt the teeth clamping on to my thigh and ribs," but managed to get free of the shark's jaws during the attack in the waters off one of Southern California's most popular beaches. "It came up to the surface, it looked at me and attacked me right on the side of my chest," Robles told ABC station KABC. "I could feel the vibration of this entire shark gnawing into my skin. You could feel the whole body shaking as it's digging into my torso. It was a burning pain that was going down the side of my chest."
He immediately grabbed the shark's nose and tried to pry its mouth open. Fortunately, the shark shook free from the fisherman's line and darted away. Lifeguards were, however, unable to locate it following the attack.
A witness' cell phone video posted by CNN affiliate KTLA showed Robles screaming loudly as fellow swimmers tried to help him to shore. "I was pretty much in shock and screaming the whole time," he said. "I was scared. More than anything, I was just terrified."
The victim was carried on a big paddle board back to shore where lifeguards and beach-goers rushed to his aid, New York Daily News reported. He was then rushed to a local hospital with a bleeding bite wound to his right rib, in addition to suffering from several bite marks to his side and arm.
"We do see the sharks. They're here, and they've been around," said Scott Valor, who witnessed the attack. "There's never been a bite." Police closed down the Manhattan Beach Pier, and it will remain closed until Tuesday.
While shark attacks are rare, they have increased at a steady rate since 1900 "with each decade having more attacks then the previous," according to the International Shark Attack File based in Gainesville, Florida.
