Bruemmer is a retired Monterey Peninsula College professor and triathlete who has swum in Monterey Bay at least once a week for the last 10 years, the outlet reported. He was swimming about 150 yards from shore when the attack happened.
He said in his statement that the day’s warm temperatures, clear skies, and a crowded beach fortunately factored in to his survival.
File: Shutterstock
“The day was so calm and warm, and the beach was crowded. There were no waves, and there was no chop. So people could hear me yelling ‘Help’ from a great distance, including from the Rec Trail, where someone called 9-1-1,” Bruemmer recalled.
“I remember I was lying in the ambulance, and I thought, ‘My lungs are good. I can breathe.’ So I didn’t know if I was going to bleed to death, but my lungs were good,” Bruemmer said. “And it seemed really lucky that the shark got me in a spot that seemed survivable. I was in the ambulance, thinking I don’t know if I was going to survive, but at least I could breathe.”
Bruemmer suffered no damage to his organs or arteries, but will forever have a U-shaped shark bite on his pelvis.
“The fact that Natividad has a Trauma Center was a lifesaver,” Bruemmer said. “They said I lost a tremendous amount of blood. Without all those things going right… I could have bled out.”
“So yeah, I’m lucky,” he added.
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It is unclear what type of shark bit Bruemmer, but investigators with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife took DNA samples from the swimmer’s wetsuit to determine the species,KSBW-8 reported.
In light of the attack, the beach at the south end of Monterey Bay will be closed until Saturday, the Monterey Fire Department announced.
source: people.com
