Around 7:00am this morning (Friday, April 25, 2008), Tri-athlete and retired veterinarian Dr. Dave Martin, 66, was attacked by a shark and killed while swimming off the coast in Solana Beach. He and a group of fellow athletes were swimming in Fletcher Cove at a spot called “Table tops” when the shark struck. According to Richard Rosenblatt of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the shark was “almost certainly a great white.” The single bite across both of the victim’s legs was “clean and massive” [source: FOX News ]. Lifeguards tried to revive Martin onshore but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead around 7:50am.

The swimmers were wearing wetsuits and, said Rosenblatt, were likely mistaken for seals.

According to LAtimes.com , Lt. Phil Brust of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department had this to say: “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. They went to his aid and dragged him onto the beach, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

The beach was closed 5 to 8 miles in both directions while helicopters scanned the waters in search of the shark. No word yet concerning the results of their search.

See SignOnSanDiego.com for more coverage and photos and the LA Times for a map of California shark attacks.

This news, while merely sensational and titillating to some, is cause for genuine concern among those of us in the San Diego surf community. With shark sightings and attacks on the rise along the coast of California, one can’t help wondering (or worrying) whether this event is an omen of more trouble to come. That question will likely be answered in time. Today, however, let us honor and pray for the family and friends of Dave Martin. May he rest in peace.