On November 4 at around 10 Am, an ocean swimmer was bitten by what is believed to be a juvenile white shark (aka great white sharks Carcharodon carcharias) off the coast of Del Mar in San Diego County. Wearing a black wetsuit, 50 year old Lyn Jutronich was swimming several hundred yards offshore with a partner when the two stopped to rest. She was bitten in the thigh while floating, she was shaken and then released. Jutronich was able swim to shore where she was assisted ashore and treated by lifeguards. She was taken to a local hospital where doctors treated multiple lacerations ranging from around 1 inch to 3 inches.
The incident is the first shark bite at Del Mar beach, and the fifth in the county in five years. The last incident was experienced by another swimmer on December 30, 2020, while off of Coronado south of San Diego. A white shark trailed the man and bit his fins, but he escaped without injury.
The last serious injury in San Diego was experienced by 14 year old Keen Webre Hayes while free diving off of Beacons Beach in Encinitas on September 29, 2018.
According to California Fish and Wildlife, 25 attacks have occurred in San Diego County since records began collected in 1950. This was the 5th incident in 5 years, with 3 of those confirmed by a white shark. One bite was experienced by a surfer by a thresher shark, and the other on a kayak. The species was not confirmed and no injury occurred in that incident.
Summary of attacks in California 1950-2022
This is the 8th confirmed incident in California in 2022 between San Diego and Humboldt Counties. All involved white sharks but one which was not identified. In that case a surfer off Cayucos Pier in San Luis Obispo County experienced minor injuries. According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Natural History Museum, on average around 1.5 shark bites have occurred in state waters since 1926.
To avoid injury from a shark attack follow these guidelines.