CATALINA ISLAND (CNS) - A 15-year-old Boy Scout camper was airlifted to a hospital for surgery today after he was bitten on one hand by a shark while canoeing near Parson's Landing at Catalina Island.
The shark encounter was reported at 7:15 a.m., according to Los Angeles County Fire Department lifeguards.
The victim was a participant at a Boy Scout Camp in Emerald Bay.
"The patient and their father were (boating) near Parson's Landing when their boat was bumped by what is believed to be a shark of unknown size and type," lifeguards tweeted. "During the encounter, the patient reached their hand into the water and was bit by the animal."
The boy had stable vital signs, lifeguards said. But due to the nature of the injury and remote location, he was taken by helicopter to a hospital where he was undergoing surgery.
Boy Scout officials said their onsite doctor and a paramedic immediately provided first aid and called in additional medical personnel.
"Our thoughts are with this young man and his family, and we will continue to support them in any way we can," Lee Harrison, scout executive/CEO of the Western Los Angeles County Council, told City News Service.
Harrison added that the scouts provide a chase boat, "which goes out before every water activity that takes place outside of Emerald Bay to identify potential weather and wildlife hazards and follows each group of participants back to shore. No hazards were spotted this morning."
Lifeguards cleared and closed the ocean one mile in each direction of the incident for at least 24 hours, per LACFD policy.
Lifeguards also requested the assistance of a shark expert from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to identify the size and type of the shark, according to the tweet.