DEL MAR, Calif. (KGTV) — A 2018 shark attack survivor is offering support to the man, identified as Caleb Adams by friends and family, who was bitten by a shark on Sunday off the coast of Del Mar.
Adam's shark attack is the third off San Diego County coastlines in the last six years.
In 2018, Keane Hayes was bit by a shark while lobster diving in Encinitas at just 13 years old.
Hayes is now 19 years old, attending college in Colorado and working as a lifeguard for the City of Encinitas during the summer.
"It’s definitely like a very full-circle moment. I've been working at the beach I got bit at, and one day I was walking on the trails, and I was like, 'Wow, I almost died over there,'" Hayes said.
Hayes says he's already reached out to Caleb’s family.
"We reached out just to give our support and just try to give as many resources as we can," Hayes said.
The water conditions on Sunday morning were murky. According to Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab’s Dr. Christopher Lowe, the red tide created low visibility for his team, who researched for hours after the bite.
Lowe explains that red tides are caused by microscopic plants that live in the water called plankton or diatoms.
"So, they reproduce really quickly and so much so that it turns the water that brownish red," Lowe said.
Dr. Lowe says red tide conditions might have made the shark mistake Adams for prey.
Hayes knows these attacks are extremely rare and hopes Adams recovers quickly and plans on being there to support him, if and when he’s ready to get back into the water.
"If he wants to go out for a surf or just for like a swim or something, I’m more than open to that. And just take it at your own pace; we’re all different," Hayes said.
