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Woman Praised as ‘Champ’ for Escaping Attack While Swimming in Florida ‘Shark Alley’

A woman was attacked by a shark off the Florida coast on Sunday, swimming back to shore for help with a bite in her thigh, ABC News reported.

Mary Marcus, 57, was listed in stable condition at a hospital, ABC reported, citing Vero Beach police.

Representatives for the Vero Beach Police Department and the hospital could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.

Marcus was attacked as she swam near the Costa d’Este Beach Resort and Spa at Vero Beach, ABC reported, and suffered what police described as an “exploratory bite” from the shark.

Local media reported that Marcus was swimming about 100 yards off shore in an area known as ‘shark alley’ between two reefs where the fearsome predators look for fish.

“She handled it like a champ,” Tracee Kromann told TCPalm.com. “She was super calm.”

“I glad it wasn’t any worse,” added Erik Toomsoo, a spokesman for the Vero Beach Lifeguard Association.

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