Shark attacks swimmer in sea off Majorca as council orders beaches to be closed

A swimmer has been attacked by a blue shark off the coast of Spain that after the animal reportedly became ‘confused’, colouring the sea red with 

Local media reports that the shark collided with the bather at Rabdells Beach before sinking its teeth into his foot.

The man was reportedly standing in shallower water when the shark collided with its leg before sinking its jaws into him.

The beach is in the Oliva municipality south of Valencia, on the east coast of the Spanish mainland – with the islands of Ibiza, Majoca, Menorca and Formentera immediately to the east.

Council chiefs ordered beaches along the coast to be closed while an investigation took place.

The attack happened near the Aigua Blanca beach south of Valencia

Speaking to regional newspaper Las Provincias, the man said he saw a ‘shadow’, felt a ‘blow’ to his left leg and then a ‘bite’ to his right foot.

Adrenaline then kicked in as he tried to seek help without making his fellow beachgoers panic. 

He recalled: ‘I didn’t have time to get scared. Noticing that blood was coming out of me, I went into the sea so as not to alarm everyone.

‘The first thing I am going to do when my foot heals is to go back. If you are afraid of things, you are lost.’

The attack happened on Thursday afternoon as the man reportedly stood in a shallower area of water off the Spanish coast. 

Experts say that the animal had become ‘disoriented’ as it swam around the coast before it sunk its teeth into the man’s foot.

Oliva Town Council closed the beaches of Rabdells, Aigua Blanca and Aigua Mota – a stretch of coastline around three miles long – as a preventative measure while the shark remained in nearby waters.

Jaime Penadés, a marine biologist, said that humans do not form part of a blue shark’s diet.

‘These species don’t want anything from us, they are looking for fish, not people,’ Penadés is quoted as saying in the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

He added that the shark attack caused a ‘tear’ to the man’s foot that could have been ‘more serious’ in other circumstances. 

The beaches were re-opened on Friday following the attack after local experts, health authorities, local police and the Guardia Civil – one of Spain’s national police forces – were certain the animal no longer posed a threat.