Man killed in shark attack near Solana Beach

A man swimming in the ocean near Solana Beach was killed this morning by a shark, the Times' Molly-Hennessy-Fiske reports.

A man 55 to 60 years old was swimming with others at Tide Beach about 7 a.m. when he was attacked, according to a statement on the Solana Beach city website.

The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was taken to the Fletcher Cove Park lifeguard station for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said.

Swimmers were ordered out of the water along a 17-mile stretch around the attack site, and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department sent up helicopters to scan the waters for the shark.

"The shark is still in the area. We're sure of that," Solana Beach Mayor Joe Kellejian told the Associated Press.

Times staffers are on the story, so more details are to come.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Comments

[carlisle]

what a nightmare.

[Frank]

Occasionally white shark attacks on humans are associated with something else being in the water such as a whale carcass within a mile or so which makes the sharks more aggressive than they might otherwise be. It would be interesting to know if there was any factor of this type in this case.

[Michele Jacquin]

The Junior Lifeguard programs in Solana Beach and Del Mar will be easier to get into this year when all the suburbia mothers hear about this. Yes, its a real live ocean out there and humans do not run the show. I think about it every time I paddle out to the buoy in Del Mar. My late husband's ashes are out at Tide Park, I am sure his spirit is there for the gentleman who died. My heart grieves for his family and friends.

[Flaggirl]

Why is there still a "Play Rambo with the Sharks" Ad on the website beside this article??

[Pisces]

So unfortunate. I am deeply sorry for the man, his friends, and his family. These attacks happen so rarely, that each time I hear of an attack, it is shocking. Please don't forget that it is still much, much, much safer to swim in the ocean than it is to drive down a california freeway. Think about how many times people have encountered sharks, and how few times they have actually attacked. I hope people are not over eager to kill the shark that attacked this man. http://www.sharkwater.com/

[Al Brenneka]

We would like to extend deepest sympathies to the family and friends of David Martin who didn't survive the shark attack. If there is anything we can ever do to assist you in any way, Contact Us!

We have formed an organization for Shark Attack Survivors operated by Shark Attack Survivors at www.sharkattacksurvivors.com.

We are the only organization that provides resources, information, and assistance for past, present, and future shark attack victims and their families.

If you were involved or know someone who was involved in a shark attack, Please visit and contact us at www.sharkattacksurvivors.com.

SharkAttackSurvivors.com also has pages and pages of shark attack information to help others avoid being attacked, visit us.

Director
Al Brenneka
Shark Attack Survivors

[Kate Harper]

Dr. Martin was my family's longtime vet until his retirement a few years ago. He was one of the kindest and most compassionate humans one could ever meet. My deepest condolences to his wife and family.

[Fish R Man]

How many times do we hear about innocent humans being attacked. In this day and age when WE control the planet, why can't we control the local shark population by weeding out dangerous animals from populated costal places...There is plenty of protected ocean areas for these blood thirsty sharks to live. With all of the "envcironmentalists saying protect the sharks", we are seeing as big increasement of attacks. I think this is the 3rd of 4th this year in California. I say kill or move all the sharks surrounding population coastal places.

[V Hoehne Pres SD Freedivers]

The San Diego Freedivers have been seeing an in crease in shark activity since 1995. We feel this is the work of a midsized (12 to 20ft)Great Wight Shark. There are not that many sharks in this area that can do that kind of damage. Not to mention ''IT IS NOT A SHARK ATTACK'' ''BUT A SHARK BITE'' The problem with a GWS bite is that they are so gosh damn big it usually ends up being fatal. The shark probably bite the swimmer and realized it didn't taste like a seal and swam off. Because if a shark that big really wanted to attack and kill it would have came back for a second bite. GWS usually attack or bite first disabling their prey and then come back to finish the job.

Anyways I have been watching and seeing a lot more shark activity in southern California in the past 6 months, then ever before. The fact that the Harbor seals at the La Jolla Children's Pool protected by environmentalists are producing so many young in our waters that the GWS is making Southern California a nice place to live. But I think that even the resident GWS at Catalina knows the difference between a swimmer and a seal. Their are 2 well known resident whites there haven't been any attacks in a long time. The shark that attacked the swimmer may be new to the area.

[Luke Wilbur]

Our prayers go out to the Martin family. Your death did not go unnoticed here in Washington DC.

Luke Wilbur
President
Washington DC City Pages
DCpages.com

[local]

Oh i wish this was a joke. I have spent my summers at fletchers cove since I was a little girl. I surfed there every summer and spent most of my days out in the water! My brother and I used to go "outside" to catch the big sets when a decent swell would roll in and joke about each other getting eaten by a shark. Not so funny anymore. I hope the family of this man realizes that things happen and I give them my grievances. This just truly shows that anything can happen and when we go into nature, we need to respect it and realize that there are wild animals that can react in any which way.

[William Whitt]

With this shark attack and sveral others, do we have any idea if the attacks may be a result in bodies being dumped in the ocean?