Monterey Co. shark attack survivor describes chilling encounter

"It grabbed me and pulled me up, then it dove me down in the water."

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Thursday, July 14, 2022
Monterey Co. shark attack survivor describes chilling encounter
The man who survived a shark attack off the coast of Monterey in June is out of the hospital and sharing some chilling details about the encounter.

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The man who survived a shark attack off the coast of Monterey in June is out of the hospital and sharing some chilling details about the encounter.

"I was about 150 yards from being done near the beach when just....wham!"

Steve Bruemmer was attacked near Lovers Point in Pacific Grove.

RELATED: Swimmer injured in shark attack at Lovers Point Beach expected to make full recovery, doctors say

The swimmer who was attacked while swimming at Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove is in fair condition and expected to make a full recovery.

On Wednesday, he was discharged from Natividad Medical Center in Salinas after spending three weeks there.

The surgeon who operated on him says the shark bite came within millimeters of severing a major artery.

However, Bruemmer didn't suffer any broken bones or major organ damage.

"It grabbed me and pulled me up, then it dove me down in the water, then it spit me out," he said.

"I'm not a seal. It's looking for a seal. We're not its food. It spit me out. And it was looking at me. Right next to me. I thought it might bite me again. So I pushed it by my hand and I kicked at it with my foot and then it left."

RELATED: Video shows paddleboarders rescue swimmer seriously injured in shark attack at Lovers Point Beach

Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove is closed until Saturday after a swimmer was attacked by a shark Wednesday morning, according to police.

Other swimmers rushed to Bruemmer's aid, pulled him out of the water and administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

He was bitten across his thighs and abdomen, but he's expected to make a full recovery.

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