A 54-year-old man was bitten by a shark early Tuesday while swimming between Catalina Island and Orange County as part of a long-distance event.

The attack happened about 8 miles off Catalina around 1:30 a.m.

The swimmer, bitten on the leg and foot, was rescued by boat and later taken to a hospital in fair condition, conscious and alert.

Experts note shark attacks in California are rare, averaging fewer than two per year, though young white sharks are increasingly common along the Southern California coast, where they use warm waters as nursery grounds, the San Francisco Gate has reported.