Kayaker Reportedly Attacked by Shark Off Paradise Cove in Malibu

MALIBU, CALIF. — A kayaker was reportedly attacked by a shark while fishing off Paradise Cove in Malibu on Sunday morning, suffering at least two bites to the lower portion of his body, according to preliminary reports. The incident, reported around 8:30 a.m. near the popular beachfront cafe, triggered a rapid rescue — and left officials still working to confirm the key facts.

This is a developing story. Everything below is attributed to the reporting chain available as of Sunday afternoon: Traffic News Los Angeles, which first reported the incident, and the New York Post, which picked up the report. Officials have not yet publicly confirmed the shark species or released full details about the victim's injuries. We will update this story as official information arrives.

What happened, according to preliminary reports

The victim was fishing from a kayak when a small shark reportedly bit him, causing him to fall into the water, Traffic News Los Angeles reported. The shark, described in preliminary reports as a possible mako, allegedly circled back and bit the man a second time.

That account places the attack around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, in the water near Paradise Cove's cafe — one of the busiest beachfront stretches in Malibu on a weekend morning. It is important to be precise here: the species identification comes from preliminary reporting, not from officials, and the California Post has reached out to Los Angeles County lifeguards for confirmation.

The rescue

According to the reports, a nearby fisherman witnessed the attack and immediately went to the victim's aid, pulling him from the water and onto his boat. The injured man then called his girlfriend — described as a retired lifeguard — who contacted 911.

Los Angeles County lifeguards responded to the scene and helped get the victim safely back to shore, where he was transported by ambulance for treatment of his injuries, the Post reported. The speed of the response — a witness on the water, a retired lifeguard on the phone, county lifeguards on the sand — is the reason this story is a rescue account rather than something worse.

The video

Dramatic video from the scene has emerged, the Post reported. The footage appears to show a lifeguard rushing through the water during the rescue, with calm conditions off the Malibu coastline and a small boat nearby as the rescue unfolds. At one point, a man can be seen swimming toward the boat — although, the Post noted, it remains unclear whether he is the kayaker who was attacked.

Here is what the video does not do: it does not appear to clearly show the shark itself, and there are no obvious signs in the footage that would independently confirm the reported attack. That is worth saying plainly. The footage documents the rescue response, not the bite.

What officials have — and have not — confirmed

As of Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles County lifeguards had not publicly confirmed the shark species, provided additional details about the victim's injuries, or released the victim's identity. The California Post has reached out to the lifeguards for further information, including confirmation of the attack, the victim's condition and whether the shark has been identified as a mako, the Post reported.

That means several of the most important facts in this story — the species, the severity of the injuries, the hospital, the name — are still awaiting official word. We are not speculating on any of them. A shark bite to the lower body is a serious medical event, and any detail about the victim's condition should come from officials or the hospital, not from secondhand reporting.

Malibu and sharks: some context

Sunday's report lands in waters that are no stranger to shark encounters. Southern California's coastline is a known nursery area for juvenile great white sharks, which researchers have tagged and tracked off the coast for years — the Monterey Bay Aquarium's program famously released a young white shark caught outside Paradise Cove back into the water in 2008, noting the animals swim throughout Southern California waters. And in 2010, the Shark Research Committee documented kayakers encountering a large white shark between Escondido Beach and Paradise Cove.

None of that tells us what bit a kayaker on Sunday morning. Preliminary reports say "possible mako" — a fast, offshore species — and officials have confirmed nothing. Context is not identification, and we are treating it that way.

What we don't know yet

To be explicit: as of Sunday afternoon, we do not have official confirmation of the shark species, the victim's identity, the hospital where he was taken, or the precise nature of his injuries beyond what preliminary reports describe. We do not know whether the cove was closed to swimmers afterward, or what guidance lifeguards issued. These are the questions the California Post's outreach to Los Angeles County lifeguards may answer, and the Previously news desk will update this story when they do.

Anyone in Malibu today should follow official guidance from Los Angeles County lifeguards. The Previously news desk will continue tracking this developing story through the afternoon.