• SITE
• HOMES
• MOTORS
• CAREERS
• STUFF

“It’s just very bad luck for that one man.”

Richard Rosenblatt, marine biologist,

on the death of David Martin

The news of a fatal shark attack, such as the one involving swimmer David Martin off the San Diego beaches on Friday, has always given me a uniquely vigorous chill down the spine.

Two reasons come to mind: First, it’s very difficult to think of a person dying in that way. Secondly, it’s frightening to realize I could have suffered the same fate many times.

In my lifetime, I have swum in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico. I imagine many of you have, too.

In the ocean far out from Waikiki, I snorkeled, thrilling to the colors and shapes of the exotic fish below me. Never saw a shark there.

I also touched the Pacific – not far, I assume, from where Mr. Martin was attacked Friday morning while swimming with a group, and at various other points up and down the West Coast. But I remained safe.

I felt the cool waters of the Atlantic off Virginia, and the warmer currents of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic off Florida, but never had a minute’s trouble.

And I’ve dipped into the Gulf everywhere, from Panama City, Florida, where the sand was so white it focused a blistering sun on my skin, to Pass Christian, Mississippi, to Galveston, to South Padre Island, trouble-free.

In fact, the only time I ever saw a shark outside of Sea World or the State Aquarium in Corpus was in the placid, shallow waters of Galveston Bay.

I was night fishing off our pier, which stretches about 250 feet out into the bay, when I hooked something that really had a pull. Luckily, I was fishing with some of my Dad’s heavier gear, or I’m sure I would have lost it.

I yelled my lungs out, and my Dad and a couple of other grown men came running.

When I got it up to the pier, we were all surprised to see a 3-foot hammerhead shark.

At that point, the men took over, got some “blunt objects,” and beat the poor shark to death.

The tragedy in San Diego on Friday was said to involve a great white shark, although at last report they weren’t sure. The only thing certain is that it was big.

But ever since Chief Brody backed into Capt. Quint’s boat cabin with that frightened look on his face and that cigarette dangling from his quivering lips, and said, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” great whites have been blamed whenever the identity of an attacking shark has been in doubt.

As for myself, I had always been told that hammerheads were harmless and non-aggressive. That being the case, I had no hesitation after catching one to return to the water for swimming and water skiing.

Years later, however, I saw two different lists of the top 10 most dangerous sharks, and hammerheads were pretty high on both of them. In fact, the International Shark Attack Institute says it has confirmed 35 attacks on humans by hammerheads.

I’m glad I didn’t know that in the days when I frequented our coastal waters.

Jim Bishop is a senior editor for the Advocate. Leave him a message at 361-574-1210 or jbishop@vicad.com or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.