Triathlete killed by shark off San Diego County coast

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. — A shark attacked and killed a 66-year-old triathlete Friday, biting his legs as he swam in a group off Solana Beach, a city about 20 miles northwest of San Diego, authorities said.

Authorities identified the man as Dave Martin, a retired veterinarian who has lived in Solana Beach since 1970.

Richard Rosenblatt, a shark expert and professor emeritus at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said "this almost certainly was a great white shark."

He said that the attack fit the pattern of attacking from beneath and moving away, and that the wounds looked as if they came from a great white shark. He added that the shark was probably between 12 and 17 feet long.

The swimmers were wearing wetsuits.

"We think it was mistaken identity" because sharks hunt based on "silhouettes," Rosenblatt said. "A human swimmer is not too unlike a seal."

The attack occurred about 7 a.m. about 150 yards offshore, near Fletcher Cove, said Lt. Phil Brust, a spokesman for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Several swimmers were in a group when the shark attacked, lifeguard Craig Miller said. Two swimmers were about 20 yards ahead of Martin 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.

Family friend Rob Hill, a fellow member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego, said he was running on the beach 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.

The shark bit Martin on both legs, said Deputy Solana Beach Fire Chief Dismas Abelman.

Harbor seals were reported to have been 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.

Amanda Benedict, 36, a member of Martin's group who was not in the water Friday, said she thought the attack was a "random event" and urged the public "just not to freak out."

But other local triathletes said they had long been worried an attack would happen because of the number of seals in the area and the thousands of triathletes who train in ocean waters.

"I live across the ocean from the La Jolla Cove, and in the last few years, the seal population has been exploding," said triathlete Mitch Thrower of La Jolla.

A family friend, Michael Mulvany, said Martin had three older sons and a teenage daughter.