MONTEREY, Calif. — An experienced diver who came face-to-face with a great white shark was bitten three times but swam to his boat and escaped.
Marco Flagg, 31, was bitten on the right shoulder, thigh and torso. He was released from a hospital Saturday, a day after the attack.
"He's an incredibly lucky guy," park ranger Jerry Loomis said. ''Incredibly brave, too."
Flagg was about 40 feet down in calm water when he and the shark came upon each other, friend Steve LeCompte said.
"After he was bitten, he got to the boat, climbed in and gunned the motor as a signal. He was very calm about the whole thing," LeCompte said.
Erik Landry, a lifeguard at Point Lobos State Reserve, said divers there and at nearby beaches were being warned yesterday that the shark could still be in the area. People were allowed to dive, but at their own risk, he said.
A few decided not to dive, but many others went ahead anyway, he said, adding that the park was mobbed for the holiday weekend.
In 1986, a man needed more than 600 stitches after a shark attack off the Monterey coast. Four years later, a woman was bitten on the leg. Both survived the attacks, which were blamed on great whites.
