Many may think when reading this headline that deadly shark attacks on human beings are a dime a dozen. And while that might be the case in certain parts of the globe, our most recent account of True Horror is the first in 57 years (save for a roiled 1994 case) to occur in a place where frankly, one would expect it would it to be more rampant, a small seaside community near San Diego called Solana Beach. In fact, according to shark expert and founder of the Shark Research Committee Ralph Collier, only 147 shark attacks have occurred off the Pacific Coast since 1900, and only 11 of those resulted in fatality.
On April 25 of this year, just some three weeks ago, a poetically painful and ironic twist of fate would see the life of David Martin, a 66 year old retired veterinarian and tri-athlete, suddenly end at the savage doings of a great white shark. Taking place amidst a rigorous training program with 9 fellow swimmers, Martin sustained the vicious attack roughly 150 yards offshore. Upon attack, Martin's legs were brutally incised, one severed. By the time his colleagues could help or get the man safely to sand, the doctor bled off to death. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 7:49 AM, just before authorities were able to get him into a rescue chopper. According to Collier, this was a "violent" attack, Martin having sustained 4 to 6 bites (as opposed to most shark attacks on humans which tend to be one bite before swimming on). The shark, determined by teeth markings and laceration sizes, is guessed to span about 15-16 feet in length (Collier). Martin is survived by his five adult children.
When Spielberg's Jaws attacked the world in 1975, it spawned the modern day blockbuster, where literal lines of alacritous fans wrapped around city-street blocks in anticipation. So great was the ubiquity of a specific fear the film represented; the unknowing, uncharted depths of the ocean and how helpless a person would be in such peril. As the late great Roy Scheider once said, "you could have played the film in Delhi without sound, and people would have gotten it." (Bravo's Scariest 100 Movie Moments). As popular as the first Jaws became, and how incredibly tacky the succeeding sequels still are, it's pretty sad that grave and calamitous events such as these, that DO occur in the real, are almost necessary to remind us how truly fuckin' scary shark attacks are, and how tragically they can all end. Remember, the shark in this case was roughly half the size of the one Scheider blows to pieces in the flick.
So, we're not trying to exploit or poke fun at Dr. David Martin, not in the slightest. In fact, we actually waited some time before posting this, out of decency and for initial family bereavement. We want to pay tribute to the good doctor, and use this post as a cautionary-tale of sorts; maybe his story could somehow be of service to an eager yet benighted aqua-lover. It's been said that most great white attacks occur in three feet of water, here's a fatal contradiction to that popular sentiment. Surfers, skimmers, boarders, swimmers, skiers, waders; all beware and be safe! Our deepest thoughts go out to Martin's family, may the good doc RIP!
Final Word: What a sick world! Here's a man who since 1970, committed a giant portion of his life nurturing the well-being of animals, breathing life back into their feeble frames, and in a twisted karmic spin becomes unceremoniously thanked by a large carnivorous fish whose kind in all it's inclemency has been around since the primordial dawn. It seems a cruel bout of injustice indeed!
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