By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
Chris Murray, a 50-year-old swimmer from the United Kingdom, experienced every open water swimmer’s worst nightmare early Tuesday morning when he was attacked by a shark while attempting to swim the Catalina Channel.
Murray was about two and a half hours into the 20-mile swim between Santa Catalina Island and the California mainland 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. “And then, I felt another attack and a clamp on my right foot.”
The shark bit Murray twice—first clamping down on his left hand, before grabbing hold of 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, striking it while it was bitting his heel. His kayaker escort and support crew initially hadn’t noticed the attack until Murray swam close to the dive boat to assess his injuries.
The dive boat crew pulled Murray from 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.
His injuries required 20 stitches across his hand, while his foot suffered more extensive damage.
Murray was attempting the Catalina Channel as part of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, which is comprised of the iconic English Channel swim (from Dover to the sandy shores of France’s coast – a distance minimum of 20 miles but usually much longer as currents make it almost impossible to swim in a straight line), the Catalina Channel swim (from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes, California – a distance of approximately 21 miles) and the 20 Bridges swim around the Island of Manhattan (a distance of 28.5 miles).
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 remains steadfast about the experience. When asked if he would attempt the swim again, he responded: “Never say never.”
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