SOLANA BEACH, Calif., April 25, 2008
Shark Kills Man In Ocean Off San Diego
Swimmer, 66, Was Training With Group Of Local Triathletes; Beaches Closed
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Play CBS Video Video Shark Attack Closes Beach A San Diego beach has closed after a great white shark attacked a 66-year-old tri-athlete while he was swimming with teammates. Sandra Hughes reports.
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An unidentified family member of a shark attack victim is comforted by San Diego County Sheriff's deputy Joe Mendoza, right, at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach, Calif. Friday, April 25, 2008. A shark on Friday attacked and killed a swimmer in the ocean off San Diego County, authorities said. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
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Two women console one another after viewing the body of a 66-year old swimmer who was killed by a shark while training with a group of triathletes off the coast in Solana Beach, Calif. on Friday, April 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker)
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Dave Martin, a retired veterinarian from Solana Beach, was attacked by what authorities believe was a great white shark at San Diego County's Tide Beach around 7 a.m., authorities and family friend Rob Hill said.
The man was taken to a lifeguard station for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement on the Solana Beach city Web site.
The man's injuries crossed both thighs, San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Randy Webb said in a statement. Scripps Institution of Oceanography shark expert Richard Rosenblatt says the shark was probably a great white between 12 and 17 feet long.
"It looks like the shark came up, bit him, and swam away," said Solana Beach Deputy Fire Chief Dismas Abelman.
The attack took place about 150 yards offshore. Several swimmers wearing wetsuits were in a group when the shark attacked, said Solana Beach lifeguard Craig Miller. Two swimmers were about 20 yards ahead of the man when they heard him scream for help. They turned around and dragged him back to shore.
Swimmers were ordered out of the water for a 17-mile stretch around the attack site and county authorities sent up helicopters to scan the waters for the shark. The beach was closed for an eight-mile stretch.
"The shark is still in the area. We're sure of that," Mayor Joe Kellejian said.
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Hill, a member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego, said he was running on the beach while about nine other members were in the water when the attack took place.They saw him come up out of the water, scream 'shark,' flail his arms and go back under.
Rob Hill, a member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego"They saw him come up out of the water, scream 'shark,' flail his arms and go back under," Hill said. "The flesh was just hanging," and Martin may have bled to death before he left the water, Hill said.
Hill said club members had been meeting at the beach for at least six years and never had seen a shark.
Solana Beach is 14 miles northwest of San Diego.
Shark attacks are extremely rare. There were 71 confirmed unprovoked cases worldwide last year, up from 63 in 2006, according to the University of Florida. Only one 2007 attack, in the South Pacific, was fatal.
The last fatal shark attack in California, according to data from the state Department of Fish and Game, took place in 2004, when a man skin diving for abalone was attacked by a great white shark off the coast of Mendocino County.
On Aug. 19, 2003, a woman swimmer was killed by a great white at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County on the central California coast.
The last fatal shark attack along San Diego County was off Ocean Beach in April 1994.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 58 Comments
- Get a grip and say some prayers
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Posted by aldon61 at 10:08 PM : Apr 25, 2008
Dear LORD please let aldon61 die as soon as possible, It would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou so much!! - Reply to this comment
- i hope they don''t go looking for the shark to destroy it, when humans enter the water they become part of the food chain whether they like it or not. humans kill sharks too make soup out of their fins, we should feel lucky that sharks don''t have the ability too come up out of the water and start slaughtering us. let the shark keep swimming.
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You''''re a jerk this is a human life and you have to come on here and be so rude.
Posted by fabrat1 at 12:18 PM
Oh, c''mon lady.
So why did you read the story?
Be honest, it was for the gore of the story.
You probably slow down at auto accidents to
see as much blood as possible.
Now tell me you wanted to read the story to
go to the funeral or send flowers to the family.
Incidentally, I''ve fished in waters
as shark fins go by.
It is very weird but to the sharks
credit, they do not naturally violent
as humans are.- Reply to this comment
Why dont they eat people and just bite? Seems so pointless - at least if hed eaten him it would have served some purpose.
Posted by fibonacci_ at 11:49 AM
Sharks are not gluttons.
On the other hand whales . . .- Reply to this comment
- rush limp d--- .. you can fill in the blanks. You''re a jerk this is a human life and you have to come on here and be so rude.
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- And talk about some brave people - the people who brought him back to shore. Can you imagine the fear? Swimming with a great white that just attacked a person a few meters away?
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- Why dont they eat people and just bite? Seems so pointless - at least if hed eaten him it would have served some purpose.
- Reply to this comment
- When is the made for TV movie airing.
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- Its Bush''s fault
- Reply to this comment
"SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY................"
Posted by HILLARY4US at 01:04 AM
My thoughts exactly.
You are talking about the Shark Family right?- Reply to this comment
- Some nice thoughts here.
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- Yes, "man" is trying to work and play alongside of the wildlife we have in the world. But we must remember that many of our animal friends are still wild in their nature and habits. Do we go on a massive great white shark search and kill? I think not. We do say prayers for the deceased and their family and friends. And life will flow on within in and without you.
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- Sad to hear. CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY. But remember it''s not the sharks'' fault if you swim in his lunchbox.
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- SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY................
Posted by HILLARY4US
You think they got that message? - Reply to this comment
- Yea, I doubt the shark really knows anything about how crushed his family is etc. etc. Just being a shark - and that is just fine. Just dont bite me, I dont like that.
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- aldon61:
Say some prayers??? It''s a little late for that now, don''t you think? As if prayers ever did any good to begin with... - Reply to this comment
- Bummer for the retired vet and family, but the shark just took a nip and let him go. Probably not enough fat on him to be tasty. The shark''s just looking for food. That''s his dining room.
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- SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY................
- Reply to this comment
- I hope he gets better soon.
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- I can''t believe you as* holes are being so flippant about a person''s death. Get a grip and say some prayers for both the deceased and his family.
- Reply to this comment
