A man has been attacked by a shark while paddlesurfing in Spain.
The extremely rare incident occurred off the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands this week.
According to local media, the athlete suffered injuries to his leg, below the knee (pictured above), requiring several stitches.
The victim was with five other professional athletes on a paddleboarding trip when he felt the animal bite.
World paddleboarder champion Alba Frey told Fuerteventura Digital that it was a random attack.
She said the shark was probably following the board and ‘when it stopped, it got scared and bit.’
The incident occurred in the water between El Cotillo and Los Molinos, two miles west of the island, where certain species of shark are common, although attacks on humans are extremely rare.
The injured man had stopped to rest and drink some water when he was attacked.
According to the Frey, when they got out of the water, they discovered the wound was superficial and that ‘there was no muscle tear’.
They decided to take their friend to the hospital on their own instead of calling emergency services.
The athlete was taken to a hospital to have the wound stitched and disinfected, and it was declared not serious.
Frey downplayed what happened and stated that such occurrences ‘are very rare, like winning the lottery.’
The Canary Islands are home to a variety of shark species, including the Angelshark, Hammerhead shark, Basking shark, and Shortfin Mako shark.
It is not known what species of shark was behind this week’s attack.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
