Thousands of Memorial Day beachgoers were kept out of the water Monday as lifeguards searched miles along the SoCal coast for a shark that attacked a swimmer the day before. Photo: Sam Gangwer
A surgeon confirmed on Tuesday morning that the woman who suffered severe injuries to her shoulder and pelvis while swimming off a popular Southern California beach was indeed attacked by a shark.
According to the Associated Press, Dr. Phillip Rotter of the Orange County Global Medical Center said in a press release, “It’s very obviously a mouth. You could see individual marks from individual teeth.”
Although it’s difficult to draw a definitive conclusion, marine biologist Chris Lowe, director of Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach said the bite marks likely belonged to that of a large great white shark. The large single bite suggests the shark was over 10 feet long. He added that a great white would also be the most likely species lurking in Southern California waters.
The woman, who has been identified as 52-year-old Maria Korcsmaros of Corona, was training for a half-triathlon about 150 yards from shore when the incident occurred. She suffered fractured ribs, lung lesions, and damage to the muscles and skin of her upper arm and abdomen. Korcsmaros is expected to survive her injuries, but doctors said it was still too early to know whether she will regain full use of her arm.
Dr. Rotter said she was alert and “remarkably calm” when she was brought into the emergency room.
Chris Lowe said the number of juvenile great white sharks in the area is rising significantly. They’re drawn to warm water caused by El Niño and an abundance of fish to feed on. They also have no predators, and great whites are a protected species. “I think the rate of shark attack is going to continue to go up,” Lowe said. “And the reason for that is simple math.”
