A British marathon swimmer miraculously survived a double shark attack by fighting off a Great White after it started biting him off the California coast.
Chris Murray, 50, was attempting to swim the 20 miles between Catalina Island and the Los Angeles County coast before the terrifying encounter took place.
Murray was about two and a half hours into the swim, on Tuesday September 30, when a juvenile great white shark, estimated at three to four feet long, bit his hand.
‘It hit me and I shook it off,’ Murray told CBS News. ‘It was wriggling around me a bit. I can just remember it feeling like pure muscle,’ he added.
The shark bit Murray twice – first clamping down on his left hand, before sinking its teeth into his right foot.
‘I didn’t feel pain, just adrenaline,’ he said. ‘I didn’t even feel shocked. I felt annoyed.’
Murray managed to fight off the shark during the second bite, hitting it while it was biting his heel.
His support crew initially hadn’t noticed the attack until Murray swam close to the dive boat to assess his injuries.
They hauled Murray out of the water within seconds, administered first aid, and radioed for help.
Within minutes, they met Los Angeles Fire Department boats at sea, who transported Murray back to shore and to the hospital.
He needed 20 stitches across his hand, while his foot suffered more serious damage.
The swim from Catalina is one of what’s known as the ‘Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming’ achievements.
The others include the English Channel (England to France), and a swim around Manhattan Island.
Murray had been training for six months, swimming up to 25 miles per week in preparation to complete all three swims.
According to fire officials, shark attacks in the Los Angeles region are extremely rare.
There have only been about 15 documented shark bites in the Los Angeles area since 1950, with just over 200 documented bites in the entire state of California during that timeframe.
Despite the traumatic encounter, Murray has not written off any future attempts at the challenge.
When asked if he should give the swim another go, he responded: ‘Never say never.’
