How many times??

My heart goes out to this guys family. That's all I have to say on this topic

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I still don't see why this is riling you up so much. How do you know that he was aware of shark feeding habits? Why does his making this decision make the loss of his life any less sad?

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Exactly what I was thinking! I don't happen to watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. I know nothing about feeding habbits of sharks. Who's to say he (or anybody he was with for that matter) knew?

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Originally Posted by FloridaHogs

THANKYOU! Someone finally brought up the fact that the guy was training with a group!

So there are several facts missing from this equation.

Yes sharks do primarily feed at dusk and dawn, but that really only applies to the shark types that feed inshore and come in with the bait fish. Also, a high percentage (something like 95%)of shark attacks occur within 5 ft of water and are caused by what amounts to a feeding respose by the shark as they chase after bait fish. Great Whites primarily feed on seals and sea lions(which feed during the day). Great Whites are also deep water feeders. So right there with those two facts, Great Whites do not apply to the standard shark stats.

Great Whites select their prey by looking up at the shadows on the surface. They like to attack from underneath. If this man was swimming with a group, and since I am guessing the water is pretty cold, lets assume they were in wet suits, they would have looked like a school of seals / sealions. The sharks primary prey. Why was this man attacked over the others? For what ever reason, he probably appeared to be the weakest of the group. Maybe he was straggling behind and seperated a little....who knows.

At any rate, it is quite ignorant to believe such a statement that sharks feed at dusk and dawn would apply to all species of shark. You MUST take into account the type species that did the attacking. It does not matter what time of the day that guy was in the water since it was a great white involved.

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Good to know! Thank you for educating us!

It is a sad, sad event when someone is killed by a wild animal. However, casting blame on the man, because he went out swimming; what good does that do? How would it be that, it was the man's fault, because it was morning.. if he was out in the afternoon, would the blame transfer to the shark because it was not supposed to be hunting then?
Anytime we enter the wild, we run the risk of being mauled by an animal. It is their home turf while we have our cushy homes to live in and be comfortable. Personally I carry a rifle in the woods.. if one of the mountain lions that are around here, decide to go after me, they'd get a warning shot. Then more, if it meant My life or death. Maybe ocean swimmers should carry something that'd repel sharks like a taser type of thing? I just think of ways to prevent future human injury when I read about these types of things.. sad overall for all involved.

The main key here is 'prevention'. I, at least, am certainly not saying that the man brought that attack on, or that he meant it to happen. However, going out like that (group or no) in wetsuits that make you look like prey when Sea Lions had been seen nearby was almost like tempting fate. That episode was one that could have been prevented with a bit of forethought by the team.

It was a sad tragedy, and I am glad no others were injured, but it could have been prevented.

The attitude that certain people have been showing in this thread is appalling.

A person died! It doesn't matter why or how or whether he could have prevented it. He is still dead.

Not everyone in California knows or should know that sharks are more likely to attack at dawn or dusk. I spent the first 20+ years of my life in So. Cal., and I don't recall ever hearing that. I'm also a person who watches quite a bit of Animal Planet and other animals shows, and I still don't recall ever hearing that.

How many people actually read the whole article? The triathlon group has apparently been swimming in this same location every Friday for at least 6 years. So they've been tempting fate this whole time and it is only a miracle none got attacked by a shark before now? I'm more inclined to believe that they take more risk with their lives every time they get in a car than they did swimming in the ocean that morning.

Plus the article said the last fatal shark attack in California was in 2004, and the last one in San Diego county was in 1994. But I guarantee you there are people swimming and/or surfing along California beaches every day of the year, and yes, even at dawn and dusk.

I actually think that this 66 year old man, who was training for a triathlon and by extension it can be assumed his physical health was pretty good, must have been doing lots of the right things to ensure a long life.