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“Felt a Huge, Like a Really Hard Hit”: Ocean Swimmer Recounted the Horrors of a Near-Fatal Shark Attack Earlier This Year

Published 12/27/2022, 11:30 AM EST

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Swimming in the ocean sounds great unless one is afraid of shark attacks. In November 2022, a 50-year-old woman suffered a harrowing near-fatal shark attack north of San Diego. Surprisingly, the victim was a regular ocean swimmer, but she was left petrified after the attack. 

The incident happened when the 50-year-old, Lyn Jutronich, was swimming on the beach in Del Mar, north of San Diego, with her friend at least 200 yards offshore. Shark attacks have become a big problem in the region. Multiple cases of such attacks have been reported over the years. 

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The woman explained the near-fatal accident while swimming

Jutronich experienced the incident occurring around 10 a.m. off a beach in Del Mar, north of San Diego. While swimming in the water, she suddenly felt a weird thing hitting her legs. It not only hurt her, but also pushed her out of the water. Jutronich is a frequent ocean swimmer, so she knew immediately that it was a shark. 

Jutronich explained the accident to KGTV from her hospital bed, I felt a huge, like a really hard hit — I don’t know how else to say this, like right between my legs,” She added, “It hurt, and it pushed me up and out of the water.”

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The victim also explained the trauma that she carried from the horrific accident. She stated, I saw it clamp on my leg, so I don’t know if I saw it bite my leg or if I saw it after it bit my leg. But I definitely saw the mouth”. She continued, It was on my right leg and it shook once, kind of like a dog, and then it let me go.”

Moreover, as soon as she realized it was a shark, she panicked asking her friend to get out of the ocean. Jutronich began waving to the lifeguards ashore. They immediately brought her off-beach. The victim received medical aid onshore during which shark bites were spotted on her legs. 

Read More: 42-Year-Old Swimmer Shocks the World With an Epic Performance at the “Last Race of My Career”

Jutronich was then transported to the hospital by the lifeguards. Although she felt good in the hospital, she took time to process the scary incident. Moreover, the beach where the accident took place was closed a mile north and south of 17th Street for the next two days following guidance from the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach.

The lifeguards continued to patrol the place to notice any shark movement. 

Why are most shark attacks happening in the San Diego region?

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Due to global warming water temperatures have risen along the coast. This attracts sharks to move their nurseries where female sharks find the warm water close to the shore as a great place to raise their young ones.

Moreover, people usually visit the beaches for holidays where young white sharks assume humans as their prey when they spot them in the water. This makes beaches conducive to hunting. With more and more humans crowding their homes, the aquatic beasts are bound to retaliate. Looks like, humans are their own enemies.

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Watch This Story:  Here’s How Katie Ledecky’s Remarkable Swimming Technique Propelled Her to the Top of the World Record Charts

What would you have done in Jutronich’s place? Tell us in the comments below. 

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Written by:

Muskan Sharma

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Muskan Sharma is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She has a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Calcutta. Muskan has worked as a writer for 3+ years but has a knack for filmmaking, too.
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