‘Great white shark played tug of war with my foot and I survived’

Chris Murra, 54, from Bolton wrestled a four-foot Great White shark that bit his hand and foot multiple times during a 20-mile open water swimming challenge in Los Angeles

A Bolton father found himself in a terrifying tussle with a four-foot Great White shark that sank its teeth into both his hand and foot during what should have been a routine swimming challenge.

Chris Murra, 54, was attempting to conquer a 20-mile open water swim across Los Angeles’ Catalina Channel when his daughter’s darkest nightmare came true.

Before Chris embarked on his epic journey, his 23-year-old daughter Eleanor had jokingly given him a card with the warning “don’t get eaten by a shark”, the BBC reported.

Plunging through the pitch-black waters, Chris was unable to spot the predator lurking beneath but could certainly sense its presence. Swimming alongside a group in the early morning darkness, he was powering through the waves when he suddenly felt razor-sharp teeth clamp down on his hand.

The Great White tore a chunk of flesh from his hand in the initial attack, reports the Mirror.

The father said: “I remember shouting ‘ow’ because it hurt, and then I remember a bit of a wrestle with it and [the support crew] must have thought, oh, he’s just having a bit of a moan about a jellyfish sting, or something.”

The shark then circled back and seized his foot in its powerful jaws. He explained it “clamped on my foot, so then it was like a bit of a tug and the only thing I could think of was to kick it with my other foot”.

But the predator wasn’t finished yet – it returned for another go. When the support boat’s spotlight illuminated the water, Chris watched in horror as the beast approached once more.

Describing the moment the ship’s light pierced the darkness, he said: “That illuminated all of the water and then the shark was coming back for its dessert.”

The lawyer managed to fend off the shark and clamber back into the boat, but the determined creature continued to circle him.

Chris said: “At that point one of the crew said ‘come in number seven, out you get’ and I had to climb up the ladder.

“I don’t see it as being nearly killed. I just think it just had a bit of a nibble on my foot and my hand.”

The encounter on 30 December 2025 left Chris with serious cuts, necessitating immediate medical attention.

Chris explained: “I was treated on board the support boat and then taken by the LA fire department to shore and transferred to hospital. Swim abandoned. Stitches and glue.”

His family were understandably shaken when they received a call from coach Tim Denyer, who reassured them that Chris was alright.

Despite the harrowing experience, Chris remains undeterred and is keen to continue his passion for open water swimming, choosing to “block out” the incident.

“The odds of it happening are very small. I think one in 11 million. So I wouldn’t want to put anybody off swimming in the sea,” he stated. He acknowledged that people often ask him about the incident due to their “because they do have a natural fear of deep water and what’s in it”.