No fishing allowed from Manhattan Beach pier after shark bites swimmer

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A swimmer bitten by a shark near the Manhattan Beach Pier is carried to safety on July 5. (Laura Joyce / goofyfootphotography.com)

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A flag on the lifeguard tower signals that the water is off limits. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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The injured swimmer was taken to a hospital. Meanwhile, lifeguards patrolled the shoreline. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Ashley Clark, 7, and her brother R.J., 11, improvise while the surf was off limits. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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There were several reminders not to swim for beachgoers. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Taylor Coffee, 17, of Rancho Cucmonga, and Adom Jacko, 19, of Upland, frolic in the shallow water after a shark attack caused the waters to be closed to swimmers. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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The beach near the pier was closed after the shark scare. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

By Jeff Gottlieb

July 5, 2014 7:41 PM PT

After a young 7-foot great white shark bit a long-distance swimmer off Manhattan Beach Pier earlier Saturday, police have banned fishing from the pier until Tuesday.

The swimmer, described only as 35 to 40 years old, was bitten once on the right side of his ribcage. He was in stable condition at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. His name has not been released.

Witnesses told authorities the shark bit the anchovies-and-sardines bait on the hook a fisherman had thrown from the edge of the pier, a popular fishing spot.

They said the shark was hooked for about 45 minutes and was thrashing in the water when it bit the swimmer about 9:30 a.m.

“He was trying to get off the line,” said Capt. Tracy Lizotte, a Los Angeles County lifeguard. “He was agitated and was probably biting everything in his way and then the swimmer swam right into the shark’s line.”

Lizotte said it’s not uncommon for sharks to swim in waters past the pier’s edge, but they usually avoid people.

“That’s where they live,” Lizotte said. “It’s their home.”

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