Presumed fatal great white shark attack on swimmer in SoCal
#1
Posted 25 April 2008 - 09:02 PM
As I was doing so, I received a call from KNX news radio in Los Angeles asking if, as a marine biologist, I'd be willing to be interviewed about the attack. I told them that since I had no first-hand knowledge of the situation and that initial reports conflicted, I could only speculate. Good enough!
The hosts called and I listened to a few minutes of their interview with Ralph Collier, an internationally recognized shark expert and far more knowledgeable than I about them. Then it was my turn. It seemed the questions were somewhat motivated by the usual misconceptions and I tried to correct those and create a more rationale evaluation of what might have happened. The hosts were quite good. I talked about the great white's natural history, migration and feeding as well as popular myths about shark attacks.
I was asked to speculate on what shark would have done this. Based on the attack focusing on the rear of both legs, and the severity of it (my understanding is that both legs were close to being severed), I suggested it was a great white in the 12-15 foot range. They generally attack from behind and below, and strike the victim with tremendous force as occurred in this attack. The fact that both legs were taken into the maw and severely injured suggested a maw and therefore shark size in the range I suggested.
Following my interview, lifeguards from the beach were interviewed and countered my assumption. They suggested it was not a great white, but a blue or a mako. Blues in our area are very scarce due to overfishing, and they tend to be in the 3-6 ft range rather than the 12-16 ft giants seen in the central Pacific Ocean. Makos generally don't attack in the manner suggested in this case, and focus on fish when they do.
Fortunately Dr. Richard Rosenblatt of Scripps came on after the lifeguards. He is a well known expert on fish including sharks, and was on the scene with first hand knowledge of the injuries suffered by the deceased. His assessment was that it was most definitely a great white in the range of 12-17 ft.
To me the most interesting things about this incident were the following. First, the attack occurred over a shallow (20-30 ft) bottom which left little vertical range for the shark to accelerate in. They normally attack over rocky bottoms and from deeper depths, but I have observed and heard of attacks on sea lions over sandy bottoms in water even shallower than this. Second, the 66-year old swimmer was training for a triathlon along with nine other swimmers. He was reportedly in the middle of the pack. I would have assumed the shark would attack one of the swimmers on the group's periphery instead of one in the center... but then I don't think like a shark (of either type).
Of course condolences to the family and friends of the victim.
#2
Posted 25 April 2008 - 09:38 PM
Just thought I'd share that quirky thinking.
#3
Posted 25 April 2008 - 09:53 PM
Next time you get such a call, you might ask: "That depends: Are you going to follow my interview with questions to lifeguards who haven't studied sharks 1/10th as much as I have..."
Yeah I know: I've been branded a non-group person - doesn't play well with others. I am so upset. Let me know if you want to have some fun, without the drama - I'm good for that.
#4
Posted 25 April 2008 - 11:41 PM
#5
Posted 26 April 2008 - 12:12 AM
KNX 1070 News
Killer Shark Attack @ SD Beach
SOLANA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A shark believed to be a great white killed a 66-year-old swimmer with a single, giant bite across both legs Friday as the man trained with a group of triathletes, authorities and witnesses said.
Dave Martin, a retired veterinarian from Solana Beach, was attacked at San Diego County's Tide Beach around 7 a.m., authorities and family friend Rob Hill said.
Martin 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. His injuries crossed both thighs, San Diego County sheriff's Sgt. Randy Webb said in a news release.
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 Dismas Abelman, the Solana Beach deputy fire chief.
There was a single bite across both of Martin's legs, Abelman said.
The attack took place about 150 yards offshore. Several swimmers wearing wetsuits were in a group when the shark attacked, lifeguard Craig Miller said. 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. Eight miles of beach were closed.
``The shark is still in the area. We're sure of that,'' Mayor Joe Kellejian said.
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,'' Hill said. ``The flesh was just hanging,'' and Martin may have bled to death before he left the water, Hill said.
A witness, Ira Opper, described the victim as ``burly and athletic.'' He said the man was wearing a black wetsuit that was shredded on both legs.
Martin's relatives visited the lifeguard station in small groups, emerging in tears, before his body was transported to the county medical examiner's office. A man who identified himself as Martin's son answered the telephone at Martin's home a few blocks from the beach but declined to comment on the attack.
Club members had been meeting at the beach for at least six years and never had seen a shark, Hill said.
However, Hill said he saw a seal or sea lion on the beach earlier this week. Miller said a seal pup was found on the beach Friday morning before the attack and was taken to a marine animal rescue center.
The shark may have confused the wet-suited swimmers with his prey, Hill said.
Rosenblatt, the shark expert, said white sharks travel through the area, and the way the man was attacked and the ``massive'' but clean wounds ``sounds like what a white shark would do.''
White sharks hunt along the bottom, look for seal silhouettes above and then rise to attack, he said.
``A human swimmer is not too unlike a seal,'' he said.
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 great white killed a woman who was swimming at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County on the central California coast.
Yeah I know: I've been branded a non-group person - doesn't play well with others. I am so upset. Let me know if you want to have some fun, without the drama - I'm good for that.
#6
Posted 26 April 2008 - 06:16 AM
My totally speculative theory is that when the victim is wearing a wetsuit, the signals that the shark receives (smells, taste, whatever) may be delayed, resulting in the attack progressing further before the shark aborts. Maybe neoprene feels a little more like seal blubber to the shark, so they have to bite down before realizing it’s not.
As I said, just total speculation.
When you make fish laugh, they can't bite you.
#7
Posted 26 April 2008 - 06:49 AM
#8
Posted 26 April 2008 - 07:54 AM
All this seems a bit over the top and reactionary - especially at the state level and for my agency! The ocean is where sharks live, right? It's an election year, so I guess we should be used to this type of thing in CA!
Stacy
#9
Posted 26 April 2008 - 08:40 AM
...The beaches and waters in Solano were cleared, with Sheriffs helicopters searching the coast for the shark. We also sent a Coast Guard H-60 to help clear the beaches and presumably to search for the shark.
All this seems a bit over the top and reactionary - especially at the state level and for my agency! The ocean is where sharks live, right?...
Stacy
I kind of had the same thoughts at first, particularly if the goal of finding the shark is to kill it. But, I guess you have to consider the emotional impact (it really is sad for this guy and his family) and also the liability factor (what if they don't do anything and another shark attack occurs an hour later).
There is also my second totally speculative theory to consider. Maybe some sharks are just dumber than others. I've extrapolated that theory from my observations of the human species in my office over the last six months.
When you make fish laugh, they can't bite you.
#10
Posted 26 April 2008 - 12:22 PM
...The beaches and waters in Solano were cleared, with Sheriffs helicopters searching the coast for the shark. We also sent a Coast Guard H-60 to help clear the beaches and presumably to search for the shark.
All this seems a bit over the top and reactionary - especially at the state level and for my agency! The ocean is where sharks live, right?...
Stacy
I kind of had the same thoughts at first, particularly if the goal of finding the shark is to kill it. But, I guess you have to consider the emotional impact (it really is sad for this guy and his family) and also the liability factor (what if they don't do anything and another shark attack occurs an hour later).
There is also my second totally speculative theory to consider. Maybe some sharks are just dumber than others. I've extrapolated that theory from my observations of the human species in my office over the last six months.
All reports I have heard today state that the goal of "finding" the GW is to "make sure it is not heading back into shore towards any groups of people". After watching how easily these beautiful creatures disappear and blend into the water around them last year, I highly doubt that is a reasonable goal. As Scuba Stacy says, an election year in highly dramatic California. And it and others are probably still around, after all this is along their migratory path from No Cal to Baja Cal. This area in Solana Beach is also just a bit north along the shoreline from La Jolla where we have a "children's pool" that has been taken over by birthing seals and their pups for several years (even more controversy there we won't go into!!). and it is more than likely that the GW was doing what it does naturally, looking for seals, and very sadly this happened.
Most of the coverage, thank goodness has focused on the fact that this is a highly unusual occurrence, and the attack was because Dr Martin was unfortunately most likely mistaken for a seal. I have still had a few eye-rolling moments as I listen to their dramatic stories, but it has not yet been as bad as it could have been. It is very tragic, and I can't imagine what his family and friends are feeling right now. I feel very sorry for their loss... any sudden loss is especially difficult to deal with, not to take into account how catastrophic this was, and the fact that they will have to relive this every time a new story is done.
Several people have headed back into the water already.. the clearing of the water is suggested, not mandatory. Unfortunately, we still have media from out of town headed here. So it will be interesting to see how things are presented as time goes along. But as one shark expert said, you should be more afraid that a vending machine will fall on you then that you will be attacked by a shark. And thank God for the laid back surfers etc on the beaches (and back in the waves) being interviewed who are keeping it rational, saying very simply... we know they are out there, we know the risks, we choose to play in their environment, and accept the risks thereof.
Rosa
#11
Posted 26 April 2008 - 03:33 PM
~K
I was home sick yesterday and heard about this via an emergency 'flash' report on my blackberry sent out by our State Warning Center - usually reserved for fires, earthquakes and terrorist incidents! I thought that was a little strange. The beaches and waters in Solano were cleared, with Sheriffs helicopters searching the coast for the shark. We also sent a Coast Guard H-60 to help clear the beaches and presumably to search for the shark.
All this seems a bit over the top and reactionary - especially at the state level and for my agency! The ocean is where sharks live, right? It's an election year, so I guess we should be used to this type of thing in CA!
Stacy
#12
Posted 26 April 2008 - 07:50 PM
#13
Posted 27 April 2008 - 09:31 AM
We hear talk about sharks becoming "maneaters" (why don't they eat women, too?) after "tasting blood" for the first time. I wonder about this "myth"/fact. For some species which like the taste of humans this may be the case. What about for great whites whose attacks generally are not fatal? What if they bite a human, find the taste to be... distasteful, and learn from that to be more discerning in their choice of prey in the future? Hmmm... I sense a million dollar research grant.
I'm volunteering to be your (paid) assistant on that research project when you get the grant! And CA sharks are probably weird anyway, so we'd need to get a broad cross section from around the world. Yeah?
#14
Posted 27 April 2008 - 09:47 AM
My condolences to the family also.
#15
Posted 27 April 2008 - 11:25 AM
~K
I even heard about this tragedy driving back from a diving trip in Oman yesterday evening. Four divers all came to the same conclusion - a freak incident that could happen to anyone exploring the ocean. Shark "attacks" are rare but still morbidly and curiously facinating to everyone - which is why it is also headline news in the Middle East (and everywhere else no doubt). The causes will be debated for a long time I expect.
My condolences to the family also.
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