A shark bit a swimmer snorkeling off the coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
The victim, whose identity has not been made public, reportedly had a blue shark bite him on the leg while out on an outing close to Penzance.
Following the incident on Thursday, the snorkeler was given first aid and additional treatment onshore by medical services on the instructions of HM Coastguard.
Shark Bites Snorkeler in Cornwall, UK
According to reports, a shark bit a snorkeler in the West Country. The coast guard rescued the swimmer after suffering a leg injury off Penzance, Cornwall, Thursday.
Paramedics were then entrusted with the care. According to Cornwall Live, HM Coastguard believed that the injury was brought on by a possible shark bite.
The tour's organizer, Blue Shark Snorkel Trips, said that such occurrences were "extremely rare" and they were "in continued talks with shark experts" to determine what had occurred.
"Despite how the trip ended, it was amazing to see such majestic creatures in the wild and I don't for a second want this freak event to tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species," the tour company, Blue Shark Snorkel Trips quotes the victim as saying in a statement.
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Shark Attacks on British Seas
According to a database, there have only been about 10 shark attacks on British seas since the 1800s, making them extremely uncommon.
The first reported attack in 1785 only lists one deadly occurrence involving a swimmer in Hornsea precisely a century ago.
A surfer is said to have had his closest encounter with a shark, which did not endanger him in any way in 2017, on the South Devon coast near Bantham. He escaped the attack with a bruised leg and wounds on his hand from where he punched the shark.
"I wouldn't describe this as an attack because it creates an impression that's out of context," Paul Cox, managing director of the charity Shark Trust, told The Independent.
Cox added they're fortunate to have over 30 species of shark living in the British Seas, so it's an intriguing and perhaps unique situation for him involving one of them.
The blue shark is the most prevalent in Irish waters, which may reach a maximum length of just under 4 meters (13 feet) and typically weighs between 136 and 182 kilograms (300 to 400 lb), the Irish Times mentioned.
Although reports of shark bite events are extremely rare, one guy fishing off the coast of Cork was bitten in 2018 while attempting to unhook a shark before tossing it back into the ocean.
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