A California swimmer was bitten by a shark at Del Mar Beach

By Laura Studley, CNN

A beach closure is in place after a woman suffered a shark bite off Southern California’s famed Del Mar Beach Friday morning.

The 50-year-old was bitten in her right thigh, explained Jon Edelbrock, the beach’s chief lifeguard.

She was treated for punctures and lacerations and sent to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla in stable condition, according to Edelbrock.

The woman was swimming past the surf line, an area frequented by recreational swimmers, Edelbrock said. An on-duty lifeguard spotted the woman and another swimmer with “an odd back stroke,” according to Edelbrock.

The other swimmer began waving his arms, and lifeguards swam out to help, he added.

A shark bite has never occurred at Del Mar Beach and is only the fourth incident to happen in the county in the past 15 years, Edelbrock said.

The beach is expected to be closed for 48 hours with reopening expected to be Sunday around 9 a.m., according to Edelbrock.

In 2021, there were only 73 confirmed, unprovoked shark bites on people, according to data from the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.

Del Mar Beach is located 30 minutes north of San Diego.

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