A Central Coast man who was bitten by a great white shark at Lovers Point Beach near Monterey last month is going home.
Steve Bruemmer, 62, was released from Natividad Medical Rehab Center Wednesday, three weeks after suffering from the shark bite.
After Bruemmer was bitten, he told NBC Bay Area he cried out for help and that is when two standup paddleboarders – a nurse and a police officer – and a surfer teaching a safety class on the beach rushed to his aid.
"I was in a tough spot. And everyone was so caring. I'm going home now. I'm going to recover. I'm going to be OK. Thanks to you all," Bruemmer said after his release Wednesday.
Bruemmer's doctor, Nicholas Rottler, a trauma surgeon at Natividad Medical Center said the shark came within a millimeter of severing a major artery.
"It could've been much, much worse he could've not made it out of the water," said Rottler.
The area was sectioned off for beachgoers following the incident last month. Pacific Grove Police monitored the water using an aerial drone but the shark was not spotted.
Bruemmer is an experienced swimmer and Rottler said this helped in his recovery, "Being in really good physical condition before the shark bite definitely made his functional recovery easier. His upper body strength and cardiac endurance allowed him to improve faster than most patients."
In a video released by Natividad Medical Center, Wednesday Bruemmer continuously thanked the bystanders who helped him and the medical team for saving his life.
"Heroes. How do you get into the bloody water, with maybe a shark circling beneath you to save a stranger? They're amazing.
