A swimmer has been seriously injured after being attacked by a shark in a popular California tourist resort.
The man, identified by friends as retired professor Steve Breummer, was in the water near Lovers Point, in Monterey bay when he was badly injured just before 11am on Wednesday.
He suffered major stomach and leg injuries and is in a stable condition at Natividad Hospital in Salinas.
Bruemmer, who is in his 60s, is part of a local swimming club that swims off the point nearly every day.
Friend Jill Hannley said that he was ‘kelp crawling’ at the time, adding that he had suffered a .
She said: ‘I saw that Steve’s car was still in the parking lot, so I knew he was alone, so I knew it was Steve.
‘It was a very large shark. Luckily none of his blood vessels were intruded upon but his femur was broke and they were able to fix it.
‘He’s not going to lose any limbs, he’s going to survive, it’s just going to be a long recovery.
Fire crews have been using drones to search for the shark, but so far there has been no further sightings.
Lovers Point Beach and Sea Palm Turnout were closed soon after the attack and beaches were closed for three days as a precaution.
Police said: ‘We want to express our gratitude and appreciation to the good Samaritans that took immediate action and personal risk to assist the swimmer.
‘We send our prayers and thoughts to the swimmer and their family.’
Shark attacks are rare, occurring only to an estimated one in 11.5million. Great white shark attacks are most common on California’s Central Coast, where the man was injured on Wednesday. Nearly 38% of great white shark attacks occur in the Pacific Ocean between Big Sur and Marina County, according to the TV station.
Researchers at the University of Miami recently carried out a . Bull sharks, nurse sharks and great hammerheads tracked in the study around the Miami shore were drawn to, rather than avoided, noises, bright lights and chemicals in the water.
‘We were surprised to find that the sharks we tracked spent so much time near the lights and sounds of the busy city, often close to shore, no matter the time of day,’ said UM Shark Research and Conservation Program Director Neil Hammerschlag, who was the lead author of the study.
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