{"id":10603,"date":"2018-09-29T16:19:42","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T23:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=10603"},"modified":"2018-09-29T16:28:31","modified_gmt":"2018-09-29T23:28:31","slug":"shark-attack-reported-in-encinitas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=10603","title":{"rendered":"Shark attack reported in Encinitas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A 13-year-old boy diving for lobster was attacked by a shark Saturday morning near Beacon\u2019s Beach in\u00a0<a id=\"SDCT0006\" title=\"Encinitas\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/san-diego-county\/encinitas-SDCT0006-topic.html\">Encinitas<\/a>, leaving him with traumatic upper body wounds, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>The attack occurred just before 7 a.m. off Neptune Avenue at the foot of Leucadia Boulevard, an hour into opening day of the lobster diving season.<\/p>\n<p>The San Diego County teen was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Rady Children\u2019s Hospital, said hospital spokesman Carlos Delgado.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Tim Fairbanks, chief pediatric surgeon, said the boy was taken into surgery after being stabilized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a rare injury,\u201d Fairbanks said in a brief news conference Saturday afternoon outside the emergency room. \u201cThis is not something we see much of, to be honest with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The physician spoke on behalf of the boy\u2019s family, sending a message of thanks to the bystanders who came to his aid. Otherwise, the family requested privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital did not release his name.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_em trb_embed \" data-content-embedlocation=\"Embed + (1)\" data-content-id=\"105541049\" data-content-size=\"large\" data-content-type=\"video\" data-content-slug=\"sd-v-shark-attack-20180929\" data-content-subtype=\"premiumvideo\" data-role=\"sc_item mediamanager_container imgsize_ratiosizecontainer lightbox_container \" data-state=\"\" data-embed-id=\"105541049\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_m\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_v\" data-role=\"mediamanager_item\" data-state=\"thumbnail\" data-content-subtype=\"premiumvideo\" data-content-contplay=\"\">\n<figure class=\"trb_em_v_figure\" data-role=\"imgsize_item\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"trb_em_v_img\" title=\"Teen diving for lobster attacked by shark in Encinitas on opening day of season\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafd5ea\/turbine\/sd-v-shark-attack-20180929\/661\/661x372\" alt=\"Teen diving for lobster attacked by shark in Encinitas on opening day of season\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafd5ea\/turbine\/sd-v-shark-attack-20180929\" data-c-nd=\"661x372\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_em_r\" data-role=\"lightbox_metadata\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_r_cc\">\n<p>A 13-year-old boy diving for lobster on the opening day of the season was attacked by a shark Saturday morning near Beacon\u2019s Beach in Encinitas, authorities said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Lobster diving season opened at 6 a.m. Saturday, and the coastline was filled with several enthusiastic hunters when the boy\u2019s screams rang out over the water, about 200 yards from shore.<\/p>\n<p>Chad Hammel was lobster diving with two friends \u2014 an off-duty Oceanside police officer and a state parks lifeguard \u2014 when they heard what seemed like a diver\u2019s excited squeals of a catch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI realized he was yelling, \u2018I got bit, help, help!\u2019\u201d Hammel told OnScene TV and other news crews on the beach.<\/p>\n<p>The trio pulled the badly-bleeding boy into a kayak. The rescuers applied pressure on the wound, assured the boy he was being taken care of and called to the shore for help. Warnings for other divers to exit the water were also shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis whole clavicle was ripped open,\u201d Hammel said. \u201cYou could see the ball and socket joint.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_ar_sponsoredmod\" data-v-ntidm=\"1069629\" data-withinviewport-options=\"bottomOffset=100&amp;topOffset=1000000\" data-load-method=\"trb.vendor.nativo.init\" data-load-type=\"method\"><\/aside>\n<p>As the rescuers headed to shore, Hammel looked back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe shark was behind the kayak,\u201d Hammel told the news crews. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to give up yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The victim was conscious as he was airlifted to the hospital, said Encinitas lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_em trb_embed \" data-content-embedlocation=\"Embed + (2)\" data-content-id=\"105546966\" data-content-size=\"small\" data-content-type=\"video\" data-content-slug=\"sd-v-shark-attack-presser-20180929\" data-content-subtype=\"premiumvideo\" data-role=\"sc_item mediamanager_container imgsize_ratiosizecontainer lightbox_container \" data-state=\"\" data-embed-id=\"105546966\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_m\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_v\" data-role=\"mediamanager_item\" data-state=\"thumbnail\" data-content-subtype=\"premiumvideo\" data-content-contplay=\"\">\n<figure class=\"trb_em_v_figure\" data-role=\"imgsize_item\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"trb_em_v_img\" title=\"Encinitas authorities hold press conference after 13-year-old boy attacked by shark\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafe1e3\/turbine\/sd-v-shark-attack-presser-20180929\/450\/450x253\" alt=\"Encinitas authorities hold press conference after 13-year-old boy attacked by shark\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafe1e3\/turbine\/sd-v-shark-attack-presser-20180929\" data-c-nd=\"757x426\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_em_r\" data-role=\"lightbox_metadata\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_r_cc\">\n<p>Encinitas authorities hold press conference after 13-year-old boy attacked by shark<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The boy\u2019s mother was on the beach at the time of the attack, which occurred in about 9 feet of water, Giles said.<\/p>\n<p>Witnesses described the shark as about 11 feet long, Giles said, although the species was not known. Hammel told reporters that it might have been a great white.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities are investigating with the help of Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_em trb_embed\" data-content-id=\"105548989\" data-content-size=\"large\" data-content-type=\"image\" data-content-slug=\"sd-1538254327-snv5zir1be-snap-image\" data-content-subtype=\"photo\" data-role=\"sc_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer lightbox_container \" data-state=\"\" data-embed-id=\"105548989\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_m\">\n<figure class=\"trb_em_ic_figure\" data-role=\"imgsize_item\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"trb_em_ic_img\" title=\"Shark attack\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafe602\/turbine\/sd-1538254327-snv5zir1be-snap-image\/950\/950x534\" alt=\"Shark attack\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bafe602\/turbine\/sd-1538254327-snv5zir1be-snap-image\" data-c-nd=\"1476x829\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"trb_em_r\" data-role=\"lightbox_metadata\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_r_cc\">A boy diving for lobster was attacked by a shark Saturday at Beacon&#8217;s Beach in Encinitas. (Beto Alvarez\/U-T)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>A shark had been spotted in the area a few weeks earlier, Giles said. An investigation that included showing witnesses photos of various kinds of sharks determined that it was not a species that is considered a threat to people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver 135 species live in this area,\u201d Giles noted. \u201cThis is their natural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Authorities have closed the coastline from Ponto Beach in Carlsbad to Swami\u2019s Beach in Encinitas for the next 48 hours. The Stone Steps Invitational Surf Contest scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re asking people not to go in the water,\u201d Giles said.<\/p>\n<p>Lifeguard boats and personal water craft were patrolling the shore Saturday and a sheriff\u2019s helicopter monitored overhead. If no shark sightings are reported after 48 hours, the beaches will likely be reopened.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the closure, a surfer could be seen paddling into a break in the area Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve prior shark attacks have been reported in San Diego County since 2000, according to the nonprofit Shark Research Committee.<\/p>\n<p>On April 29, 2017, Leeanne Ericson of\u00a0<a id=\"SDCT0017\" title=\"Vista\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/san-diego-county\/vista-SDCT0017-topic.html\">Vista<\/a>\u00a0nearly died after her right leg was mauled by a shark at San Onofre State Beach. The Vista woman gouged the shark\u2019s eye out in a fight for her life.<\/p>\n<p>The last fatal attack was on April 25, 2008, when retired veterinarian David Martin, 66, was killed by a great white shark while on a triathlon training swim off Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 13-year-old boy diving for lobster&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10603"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10608,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10603\/revisions\/10608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}