The stretch of beach from Balboa Pier south to Crystal Cove remains closed today after a woman was allegedly bitten by a shark on Sunday afternoon off coast of Corona Del Mar in Newport Beach.
According to the Newport Beach Fire Department, lifeguards responded to a distressed swimmer at about 4:15 p.m. When lifeguards arrived, they found a woman between the ages of 40 to 50 years old 150 yards from shore, bleeding heavily from wounds to her arm and torso that were consistent with a shark bite.
According CBS Los Angeles, who spoke to sources and trauma personnel, the shark is believed to be a great white.
The woman was quickly transported to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana for treatment where she is expected to make a full recovery.
“Lifeguards have not yet been able to confirm that it was a shark that bit a female swimmer about 150 yards offshore from Corona del Mar State Beach yesterday,” Newport Beach officials said in a statement Monday morning. “However, due to the nature of the incident and the type of injuries the victim sustained, lifeguards are treating it like a shark-bite incident and are continuing to take action to protect beach goers and ocean users.”
The closure will remain in effect until further notice. We will bring you more information on the incident and closure as it comes.
