Great white shark took "two or three bites" out of my son, fisherman says
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- A spear fisherman says a great white shark took "two or three bites" out of his son before they were able to get him out of water and to safety, CBS San Francisco reports.
Armen Azatian said the moment was shocking for him. It was a "horrifying scene," but he moved quickly to stop the bleeding.
Azatian said his son, 25-year-old Grigor, stayed calm throughout the ordeal. But the amount of damage and blood was overwhelming.
Grigor said the shark was about 15 feet long.
The men were several hundred yards offshore Friday at Pebble Beach when Grigor was bitten in his right thigh.
"The rescue team told me his leg had been bit really hard," said diver Dan Silveira. "I hope he gets to keep his leg. I hope he recovers fully."
Silveira says the victim is part of a well-known father-son dive team in the small, close-knit dive and spearfishing community. Rescuers told him the shark in question may have been tagged with a locator as part of a research project.
Silveira wonders why the information wasn't shared with people in the area. He says he's thankful the attack didn't turn out to be deadly.
"I've spent countless hours out there, and it could have been me," he said. "And yesterday, I was so grateful just to end the day home with my family."