Shark Attack: Swimmer Survives Being Bitten and Shaken in Del Mar Beach, California

On November 4 at Del Mar Beach in San Diego, a 50-year-old avid swimmer named Lyn Jutronich was taking a routine swim when the attack took place. The California woman was bit and shaken by a shark during the attack "like a dog."

Jutronich claimed that while she had been relaxing in the water, a huge object suddenly slammed between her legs. She recognized it as a shark right away.

Jutronich claimed that she was pushed by the shark. She was pushed out of the water and it hurt. Jutronich noticed that it was clamping on her leg, but she wasn't sure if she had seen the shark bite her leg or if she had only seen it afterward.

According to FOX News, the shark grabbed her right upper thigh and "like a dog" shook it once before letting her leg go.

Shark attacks without warning are incredibly uncommon. San Diego has experienced 20 unprovoked shark attacks since 1926, according to the International Shark Attack File by the Florida Museum. Additionally, it is the part of California where unprovoked attacks are most common.

Possibility for PTSD

Jutronich, a former competitive swimmer, said that she wasn't sure if she would ever swim again after what happened.

Daryl McPhee, an environmental science associate professor from Bond University, said that unprovoked shark bites are extremely unlikely. At an exposed beach, drowning is a much more common occurrence than being bitten by a shark. At this time, it is not possible to determine the species that bit the victim based on the victim's report.

According to the incident's description, the victim was fortunate to escape with only minor injuries. One of the main causes of fatalities from an unprovoked shark bite is the possibility of a severed major artery as well as subsequent blood loss.

As a result of the psychological effects of a bite, McPhee would advise the victim to receive counseling support. This is because PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can result from a bite.

The Shark Bite

Jutronich told her swimming partner what had transpired as quickly as she was able to catch her breath, explaining that she had been bitten and that they needed to get to shore.

When they reached the shore, lifeguards made an emergency call. She suffered lacerations as well as puncture wounds on her right leg, which were treated in the hospital after being taken there.

Authorities are waiting for experts to confirm that the shark was, in fact, a young great white shark. Great white shark juveniles frequently swim throughout the waters off Del Mar.

The incident is still fresh in Jutronich's mind, she told reporters from The Guardian.

Mistaken for Prey

A case of mistaken identity, in which the shark mistakes a person for prey, such as a seal, is one of the leading theories about why sharks bite humans, according to Brianna Le Busque, a scientist who specializes in shark behavior.

Especially considering the woman's claim that the shark bit and released, probably realizing it was not the intended prey. The likelihood that a shark will mistake a human for prey can rise in certain situations, such as unclear water or the presence of large schools of bait fish.

Off the coast of California, about 11 different shark species can be found. Although they can be found throughout the state, spanning from San Diego to San Francisco, great white sharks are most common off the central coast, Newsweek reports.