Great White Shark Attack In Solana Beach

Babble 04/25/2008

Great White Shark Attack In Solana Beach

This morning there was a fatal shark attack in Solana Beach in North County San Diego between the surf breaks Tabletops and Pillbox near Fletcher Cove. The attack happened around 7 AM, and lifeguards received the 911 call at 7:20 AM.

According to preliminary reports the victim was an athletic sixty-six-year-old male swimmer. At the time of the attack he was with a group of about 10 other swimmers training for a triathlon between 100 and 150 yards out to sea. In an attempt to save the victim, one of the group’s members swam him in to the beach where he died.

According to Scott Bass, who was on a long distance paddle nearby at the time of the attack, “It was a nice morning, the weather was warm, and there was just a little bit of a red tide type of feel to the water. The waves were fun, but things felt a little off.”

“Then, while I was on my way back home during the paddle, helicopters came crawling out of nowhere screaming over the ocean, ‘There has been a fatal shark attack in the area! Exit the ocean! There has been a fatal shark attack in the area. Exit the ocean!’”

While details of the attack have yet to be verified, most believe the shark to have been a Great White. According to sources, the victim lost a leg and has a twenty two inch bite mark on his body. As a preventative measure, beaches have been cleared.

“It’s pretty spooky,” says Bass. “The entire coast of San Diego from Del Mar to Encinitas is empty right now. It’s surreal.”