San Diego Shark attack this morning

[Jonny boy]

San Diego Shark attack this morning#1

Posted: 4/25/08 at 2:59pm

Shark kills man off San Diego County coast
Denis Poroy / Associated Press
An unidentified relative of a 66-year-old man who died in a shark attack this morning is comforted by San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Mendoza, right, at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach.
The victim, 66, was with a group of swimmers off Solana Beach when he was attacked. Authorities close a 17-mile stretch of beaches.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Tony Perry and Laura Nott, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
11:49 AM PDT, April 25, 2008
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SOLANA BEACH -- A 66-year-old triathlete died this morning after being bitten by a shark while swimming off this beach 20 miles north of San Diego, authorities said.

The attack occurred about 7 a.m. near Fletcher Cove in an area known as Table Tops, said Lt. Phil Brust, a spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.



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The man was part of a group that swims every Friday morning in the Fletcher Cove area.

"They were swimming and the victim apparently yelled 'Shark,' or words to that effect, and the witnesses that were in the water apparently saw him actually being lifted out of the water and drug under," Brust said. "They went to his aid and dragged him onto the beach, where he succumbed to his injuries."

The attack reportedly took place about a quarter mile offshore. Paramedics rushed to the scene, but the man was declared dead at approximately 7:50 a.m.

The shark bit him on both legs, said Deputy Solana Beach Fire Marshal Dismas Ableman. The victim had apparently separated from the rest of his group when he was attacked, Ableman said.

Investigators from the San Diego medical examiner's office were at the beach this morning. They have not released the identity of the man.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department ordered beaches closed along a 17-mile strip while helicopters searched for other sharks in the waters.

Investigators are still trying to determine what type of shark attacked the man, Brust said. A sheriff's helicopter was circling the waters where the man was attacked, searching for the shark. If investigators find the shark, it would then be up to U.S. Fish and Game or another agency to trap it, Brust said.

Harbor seals were reported seen in the water before the attack, officials said. Sharks are known to prey on seals. Seals congregate at the La Jolla Cove south of Solana Beach.

Brust, who has been with the Sheriff's Department for 17 years, said he can't remember the last reported shark attack. There have been no recent shark sightings reported in the area where the man was killed, he said.

"We know it's the ocean and there are sharks out there, but no one can remember this ever happening and it's just a shock to the community," he said.



VERY SAD.....

Updated On: 4/25/08 at 02:59 PM