Overview

• The bite was reported around 1:20–1:30 a.m. as the solo swimmer was about halfway across the 20-mile Catalina Channel.
• Fire officials said the man in his 50s sustained non-life-threatening wounds to his leg and foot and was transported to a hospital.
• LAFD met the follow boat Bottom Scratcher about 12 miles from the mainland, transferred the swimmer to Fire Station 110, then to an ambulance.
• An LAFD fireboat pilot said the shark was described as a juvenile white shark roughly 3 to 4 feet long that briefly nipped and left.
• Authorities called the incident super rare, noting state data typically show fewer than three shark incidents in California each year.