A morning fishing trip off the Malibu coast turned terrifying Sunday when a kayaker was bitten twice by a shark near Paradise Cove, including once after the animal reportedly knocked him into the ocean.
The incident happened Sunday morning, Oct. 4, off the popular stretch of coastline near Paradise Cove in Malibu.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the emergency was reported at approximately 8:32 a.m. in the 28200 block of West Pacific Coast Highway.
Authorities initially described the incident as a shark attack but later clarified that it appeared to be a fishing-related accident.
The kayaker was fishing roughly a half-mile offshore when he hooked a shark and attempted to release it, officials said.
That was when the encounter suddenly became dangerous.
The shark bit the fisherman while he was trying to free it, causing him to fall from the kayak and into the water. Authorities said the shark then bit him a second time.
Los Angeles County lifeguard Alex Buford said the animal was believed to be a shortfin mako shark.
A nearby fishing boat quickly moved in to help, and people aboard were able to get the injured kayaker out of the water.
Emergency crews and lifeguards then assisted the fisherman and brought him back toward shore. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
His name has not been released, and officials had not publicly disclosed his condition as of Monday.
Witnesses described injuries to the man’s leg, including bite marks below and above the knee.
Video recorded during the emergency shows a lifeguard moving through the water toward a boat as the rescue unfolded offshore. The shark and the actual bites are not clearly visible in the footage.
Despite the frightening encounter, officials did not order Paradise Cove closed.
Lifeguards said the circumstances were important because the shark had apparently been caught by the fisherman rather than approaching a swimmer or beachgoer without provocation.
Shortfin makos also tend to spend much of their time farther offshore and in deeper water, reducing concerns that the incident represented an immediate threat to people swimming closer to the beach.
The species is found along the California coast and is among the fastest sharks in the ocean. California wildlife officials classify the shortfin mako as a highly migratory species, and state regulations allow recreational anglers to legally catch them under certain limits.
Federal marine researchers say makos primarily inhabit deeper waters off the West Coast, although they can occasionally venture closer to shore.
Exactly how large the shark involved in Sunday’s encounter was has not been confirmed.
The unusual circumstances also separate the Malibu incident from many of the shark encounters that receive attention along California beaches. In this case, officials say the fisherman first hooked the animal, brought it close to his kayak and was apparently attempting to release it when he was bitten.
Paradise Cove remained open following the incident while the kayaker recovered at a hospital.
Authorities have not announced whether additional information about his injuries or the shark will be released.
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