They swam toward him.
They Entered the Water Knowing What Was There
This is the part of the Barry Wilson case that turns an already horrifying shark attack into an extraordinary rescue story.
The shark had not vanished after the first strike.
Everyone had reason to believe it remained nearby.
Yet Wilson was still alive.
A group of swimmers headed toward him.
Among those involved were members of the local Monterey Peninsula Sea Otters swimming and diving group, along with Wilson’s friend.
Bolin later emphasized the unusual quality of the witness evidence. Three people involved in the attempted rescue had substantial police experience and training in observing and reporting violent incidents.
Despite the panic of the situation, their accounts largely agreed with one another on the important details.
That allowed Bolin to reconstruct something rarely documented so carefully in the early history of shark attacks:
Not merely the bite.
But what happened afterward.
Wilson was eventually supported on an inflatable inner tube.
Now came what should have been the straightforward part.
Get him back to shore.
The distance was not enormous.
But the surf was heavy.
Wilson was catastrophically wounded.
And underneath them was an animal none of the rescuers could reliably see.
The Water Was Too Murky to See It Coming
Imagine trying to swim while supporting an injured person on an inflatable tube.
Now imagine knowing that a large shark has just attacked that person.
Then remove almost all underwater visibility.
Bolin estimated that the rescuers could see only about six to eight feet through the water.
A large white shark can cross that distance almost instantly.
The men therefore had an enormous disadvantage.
They could watch the surface.
They could look for a fin.
They could try to keep Wilson on the tube.
But they could not see far enough beneath themselves to know where the shark was.
Every dark shape could be it.
Every sudden movement in the water could signal another approach.
And unlike the rescuers, the shark did not have to fight the surf in the same way a human swimmer did.
This was its environment.
The men were trying to escape from it.
Then the Shark Came Back
The initial attack had already inflicted devastating injuries.
But the animal continued following the group during the rescue.
Historical retellings sometimes compress the incident into a few dramatic sentences: Wilson was bitten, rescuers arrived, they placed him on an inner tube, and the shark followed them.
Bolin’s scientific report makes the event even more disturbing because it documents the behavior in detail.
The shark repeatedly remained close enough to create an immediate threat while the men attempted to bring Wilson in.
The rescue became prolonged.
The group had to navigate rough surf while trying to protect the teenager and themselves.
The entire effort took approximately half an hour.
Thirty minutes is not long when sitting safely on land.
In the ocean, with an injured teenager on a flotation device and a large white shark nearby, it is an eternity.
Every minute meant Wilson was losing more blood.
Every minute meant the rescuers remained exposed.
And every yard toward the beach still left water behind them.
They Could Not Simply Abandon Barry
This is what makes the situation so psychologically brutal.
The easiest way for an individual swimmer to reduce exposure would have been to head for shore as quickly as possible.
But doing that would mean leaving Wilson.
So the rescuers had to remain grouped around a badly injured teenager who could not save himself.
Their speed was limited by him.
Their movement was limited by the inner tube.
Their attention was divided between the surf, Wilson and the shark.
And they had no boat.
No protective cage.
No modern rescue craft immediately carrying them out of danger.