A British long-distance swimmer has described the moment he fought a shark off the Los Angeles coast in the middle of the night.
Chris Murray, 50, was almost three hours into his swim across the Catalina Channel – a 20-mile stretch of water, separating Catalina Island from the mainland – when he was attacked by a great white shark about 1.20am on September 30.
Mr Murray told CBS News that once it hit him, “I shook it off”.
“It was wriggling around me a bit. I can just remember it feeling like pure muscle.”
The shark bit Mr Murray twice.
It clamped down on his left hand before biting into his right foot.
“I didn’t feel pain, just adrenaline,” he said.
“I didn’t even feel shocked. I felt annoyed.”
Long-distance swimmers take on the Catalina Channel in California
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The shark is believed to be a juvenile and between 3ft and 4ft long.
Mr Murray managed to fight off the shark during the second bite, striking it while it bit his heel.
The support crew didn’t notice the attack until he swam closer to the dive boat to evaluate his injuries.
Mr Murray was pulled into the boat, and first aid was administered.
The shark was between 3ft and 4ft long (file pic)
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GETTYThe team radioed for help, and within minutes, they were met by Los Angeles Fire Department boats at sea.
Mr Murray was taken back to shore and to hospital.
He required 20 stitches across his hand, however, his foot suffered serious damage.
The swim is regarded as part of the “Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming” achievements.
The English Channel – England to France, and a swim around Manhattan Island are the other two swims included.
Mr Murray had trained for six months, swimming up to 25 miles each week to prepare for each of the swims.
Officials have said shark attacks in Los Angeles are extremely rare.
So much so, there have only been 15 documented shark bites in the Los Angeles area since 1950.
There have been just more than 200 documented bites in the entire state of California during that same timeframe.
Mr Murray said he was committed to future attempts at the challenge.
“Never say never,” he said in response to giving the swim another go.