California (KCAL, KCBS) -- A man swimming off the coast of Catalina Island early Tuesday morning was bitten by a shark.

Swimmer Chris Murray, who was visiting from the United Kingdom, was attempting to swim the 20 miles between Catalina Island and the Los Angeles County coast when the shark bit him.

"We think it was an over-inquisitive juvenile white shark," Murray wrote on social media. "My crew were first class in their reaction to the incident. I was quite surprised at myself. I managed to get the shark off my hand and kick it when it clamped on my foot."

The dive boat called Bottom Scratcher, which was escorting him, immediately pulled him from the water, bandaged the injury, and radioed for help. Around 1:20 a.m., they met the Los Angeles Fire Department boats at sea.

"A 3-to-4-foot white shark nipped at his leg and then took off," said Shaun Corby, a fire boat pilot.

The swimmer was transferred to San Pedro before he was later taken to a hospital.

Fire officials describe the bite as minor and non-life-threatening. They add that this kind of incident is extremely rare and there are only about 15 documented shark bites in the LA region since 1950. There are just over 200 documented bites in the entire state in that time.

Harvey plans to swim in the same waters with two other people on Tuesday night.

According to the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, this long-distance challenge is a 20-mile open-water crossing from the island back to the mainland. It starts at midnight and is known for rough currents and big Pacific swells.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox Email address Submit