A fishing trip turned tragic after a man was allegedly bitten by a shark Sunday morning in Malibu.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was fishing from his kayak about two miles off the coast near Paradise Cove, NBC Los Angeles reported. Around 7:30 a.m., his hook caught a mako shark.
The fisherman and shark apparently became entangled when the man tried to release the fish.
“The shark bit him, he let it go, and then the shark came back and knocked him out of the boat and attacked him again and bit his leg again,” rescuer Alex Buford told NBC4.
He was transported to a local hospital; his condition is unknown. The Los Angeles County Fire Department, which responded to the incident, could not be reached Sunday evening for further details.
Shark sightings along the coast have increased in recent months. Last month, fishermen spotted a giant whale shark swimming off Malibu and Santa Barbara Island, a rare phenomenon likely due to the warmer waters of El Niño.
In August, a hammerhead shark was spotted off the Malibu Pier. A person who was fishing hooked the shark. But after circling several times, the shark spat out the bait, leaving the fishermen on the pier stunned.
The shortfin mako shark is known to inhabit ocean waters off Malibu and was once a target of commercial fishing in California, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are considered dangerous to humans due to their speed, power and size.
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