Swimmer Killed by Shark in California
AVILA BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A 50-year-old college instructor taking a morning swim bled to death after she was attacked by a great white shark 15 to 18
feet long, preliminary autopsy results showed Wednesday.
Deborah Franzman of Nipomo was killed Tuesday as she swam 75 yards offshore alongside a group of seals. Witnesses reported seeing a large fin as
Franzman screamed for help.
Lifeguards pulled Franzman to shore, where she died. Bite marks on her legs were consistent with those seen in previous attacks by great white sharks,
San Luis Obispo County sheriff's Lt. Martin Basti said.
Shark expert Robert Lea, present during the autopsy, estimated the fish was between 15 and 18 feet long.
``That's incredibly large,'' Basti said.
An unknown species of shark was spotted in the area after the attack, Basti said.
Franzman likely bled to death after her left femoral artery was severed in the attack, Basti said.
Franzman's death marked the 10th fatal shark attack in California since 1952 and the first death since 1994, according to state Fish and Game records.
Franzman was a sociology instructor at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. She swam in the area by the Avila Beach Pier several times a week, friend
Andrea Sanders said through tears.
``She loved it. She would talk about how fun it was to swim and play with the seals,'' Sanders said.
Franzman was wearing a full wetsuit and swim fins when she was attacked, Lea said. The state marine biologist said the shark may have mistaken
Franzman, silhouetted against the surface, for a seal. The sharks are ambush predators and attack their prey from below.
``The water was full of blood,'' said Antonio Neotti, 15, an aspiring lifeguard who was nearby at the time.
Avila Beach, located about 200 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was closed to swimmers after the attack.
Great white sharks are a protected species in California.
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Sharks, and other wild animals that are dominant (apex) creatures of their enviroment, are proficient/efficient operating machines. The great white being among the top of that list. Even if the shark did not know exactly what the object it was honed in on was, they often will test with a bite. The fact that the first hit was observed as a rather powerful impact, tells us that the shark was not concerned with testing this prey. When a great white is locked in on its target, in most conditions it is ambushing the weakest, highest potential prey. A shark in an hightly excited, stimulated or aggitated mode will become a different animal, and depending on the type of shark, the situation becomes very dangerous. Alot of shark attacks (bites), are due to this situation and the person bitten is typically alone or isolated, as this is perceived as weakness/vulnerability. There are sharks that bite for different reasons, only a small number of sharks show this agression, but the great white is in a class all by itself. This is a sad and tragic situation, but sharks (wild creatures) are to be respected/understood but not feared.
I think the facts of this situation speak for themselves.
My condolences to the family and friends.
Safe diving to all.=-)
Unlikely, the seals were probably a less easy target. Furthermore, from what was said, it seems to me that once the GW (if it was that) realized that she wasn't a seal, let go. Doesn't that make more sense? Any can give a quick sharkology 101?
