On August 17, a man was slightly injured while swimming off Aguas Blancas beach in Oliva (Valencia). He was standing in knee-deep water when he felt a bump on his left leg and a bite on his right foot. The injured man calmly left the sea and received medical treatment.
Minor wound, quick response
Die Wunde wurde als Biss eines Blauhais beurteilt; Antibiotika genügten, Nähte waren nicht nötig. Die Stadt verhängte vorsorglich ein Badeverbot für Aguas Blancas und zwei weitere Strände, überwachte die Küstengewässer und öffnete am Folgetag wieder.
Rare events – context for swimmers
Bites from blue sharks are rare on Spain’s Mediterranean coast; earlier cases were reported in 2016 (Elche) and 1993 (Malvarrosa). Comparable incidents also occurred in 2018 in Ireland (while sport fishing, provoked) and in Italy. The man affected announced that he would return to the sea after recovery.
"If you let yourself be guided by fear, you are lost," the swimmer told the regional newspaper.
