A San Diego woman who loves swimming and does it every day had the shock of her life at the beginning of November and is glad to be alive.
Fifty-year-old Lyn Jutronich was enjoying her morning swim at Del Mar Beach in San Diego when she felt something big bump into her in the water.
Jutronich told reporters that at the moment of the incident she was resting in the water during her routine morning swim with her friend.
She said she felt something huge hit her between her legs and shove her. She was immediately frightened because the hit was intense. She said the attack pushed her up and out of the water.
She knew a shark was attacking her almost immediately after the push.
Jutronich, who was a competitive swimmer in college and enjoys it several times a week, said that her fight or flight instincts kicked in immediately, and she bolted.
She saw the shark bite her thigh, but fortunately for her, it let go. The shark only bit her once and released its grip, lacerating her thigh.
After her nightmarish experience with the shark, she screamed at her swimming partner David, alerting him of the shark attack.
The couple fled from the water and were met by lifeguards and first responders on the beach, who provided the woman with first aid.
Jutronich was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for laceration wounds to her thigh, according to the chief lifeguard for the City of Del Mar.
The beach remained closed for several days after the attack.
It has been reported that earlier this year juvenile great white sharks had increased significantly in the San Diego area waters.
Marine biologist Dr. Chris Lowe confirmed that San Diego waters had become a popular nursery area for great white sharks and other sea life in recent years. He said the increased sightings of great white sharks started about two years ago and that San Diego had become a new hot spot for the sharks.
