Shark kills man training for triathlon, page 1

Shark kills man training for triathlon

www.nctimes.com

A great white shark is believed to have killed a 66-year-old man as he swam with fellow triathletes off the coast of Solana Beach on Friday morning.

"They saw him come up and out of water, scream 'shark,' flail his arms and go back under," said Rob Hill, a fellow member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego and friend of victim David Martin, a retired veterinarian and 38-year Solana Beach resident.

The attack was the county's first shark fatality in nearly 49 years.

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It appears the great white, Carcharodon carcharias, mistook the man, swimming 150 yards off the beach with a group of nine other people, for a seal or sea lion. Mr. Martin sustained catastrophic injuries to both legs in what was probably a single bite from the 12 - 15 foot shark. He died shortly after being pulled ashore by fellow swimmers. Fifteen miles of beachfront has been closed as authorities search for the shark, which they are convinced has not left the area.

I used to surf quite a bit, and was once overboard for about an hour in open water. I was never too spooked by the thought of sharks while surfing, but I had to work to keep thoughts of being attacked by a big mako out of my head while I was overboard and swimming back to my skiff three miles off Catalina Island, which is 26 miles off the shore of SoCal, in 1995.

My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Martin's family and friends as they deal with his tragic death.

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