A California shark attack victim remembers “tussling” with the beast and yelling for assistance

A California shark attack victim remembers "tussling" with the beast and yelling for assistance
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This month, a guy who was bitten by a shark many times while swimming near San Diego, California, described “tussling” with the beast for a brief period of time before making his way through bloodied water to safety.

On June 2, 46-year-old Caleb Adams was participating in an open water swim group in Del Mar, California, when he felt “a strong hit to my body.”

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“I was aware that a shark had attacked me. In an exclusive interview that aired on “TODAY” on Tuesday, he told NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, “I wrestled with the creature for a few brief moments.”

“I felt softer tissue as I struck the animal for the second time. That was, I’m going to assume, in the shark’s mouth. And my hand and wrist were sliced multiple times,” he said.

At that moment, he cried out, “Just two clear words”: “Help” and “shark.”

Kevin Barrett, his swimming companion, heard his calls for assistance.

Barrett said, “You know that’s a real scream.” The shark had disappeared by the time he got to Adams.

He remembered, “I was swimming him in and the blood was just flowing out of his chest.” “The horrific degree of his injuries was clearly visible, and it was not nice” after arriving at the coast.

As Caleb was being carried to an ambulance, a lifeguard held his hand under his chin and reminded him not to look down.

According to a statement from the mayor of Del Mar, the shark bites happened roughly 100 yards offshore from the Beach Safety Center on 17th Street.

According to the mayor of Del Mar, he was brought to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla with bites to his left hand, left arm, and left torso. Following the attack, almost the whole beach was blocked.

Jenna Veal, a weekly participant in Adams’ swimming group, was directly behind him at the time of the event.

She earlier claimed to have heard him scream for assistance on NBC’s “TODAY” show.

“He struck it across the face.” “He struck it in the nose,” she remarked. “I am aware that he sustained a shark tooth abrasion on his hand.”

Despite the incident, Adams said he feels powerful; the attack left scars and stitches across his torso and along his arms.

About two weeks after the incident, he and his wife returned to the beach, and he stated, “There’s no doubt that being here is emotional.”

“I’m very grateful that I have such a beautiful community to lean on,” he continued.

According to experts, the stretch of coastline close to Del Mar has turned into a nursery for young great white sharks.

Unprovoked attacks by sharks are uncommon. The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File stated that there were just 36 in the United States last year, two of which were in California and one of which was fatal.

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