Winning the Shark Lotto today is Strange.

When I first started SCUBA Diving many years ago, the first thing the instructor told us was " ...as soon as you enter the water you become part of the food chain...". That goes for swimmers, surfers etc. It has always been in the back of my mind but I still find that any time spent underwater is some of the most relaxing of times for any and all stress to dissipate. I am constantly amazed by the underworld beauty in sea-life and the various aspects associated with under the sea.

RIP Adam Strange, as you went out doing what you enjoy!

You don't have to be in the water to be in the food chain.

He forgot to bring dive knife with him when entering wild life territory. There is only one rule: teeth

poor shark !!hope he didn't get all gassy from eating a film director ,then getting shot

A knife? Really? The shark is 14 feet long, massive, and swims faster than a seal. Which is fast.

Shark Poop ... Shark Poop, you've got something to give .... your giving it now so the shark poop can live.

you've got something to say, your saying it now in a shark poop way!

Shark Poop Shark Poop Shark Poop ... you went swimming in the water ... shark poop shark poop shark poop, now your fit for human slaughter.

shark Poop ... you put more than just your toe in... shark poop you went swimming in the ocean.

by Dani Seakey

Crystal Bear award for Best Short Film for people over 14 at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival

What kind of award do you win if you are under the age of 14?

Have a little respect why don't you. I'll never understand how folks can make jokes out of a story like this. Shame on you.

CoRavensFan

Crystal Bear award for Best Short Film for people over 14 at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival

What kind of award do you win if you are under the age of 14?

That was really what caught my attention about this article also..............Crystal Bear Award?

Cut!!! Cut!!! GMJ

For a more comprehensive report go to:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868239

Jack, my firearm instructor told me the same thing about the south side of Chicago!!

went out doing what he enjoyed? being eaten is enjoyable?

Rare that sharks actually eat people. Most GW shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity - once the shark gets a taste, they spit the people out and move on. Hard to tell what kind it is, from the photo - not oceanic white tip (aggressive opportunists - especially around shipwrecks and other accidents at sea), possibly Tiger? He probably never saw it coming. They're so fast when something gets their attention.

I'm completely disgusted about the comments some made .I'm in so called eastern European country where US is looking down on us ,but the comments and fun people have in this situation when a family grieves ,a wife a daughter,parents and obviously friends this man had ,it is completely out of character for a human being ,none of the less for a country where :if you misspelled you are an IDIOT if your writing it doesn't measure US standards , you are called the same way .Shame Shame and Shame .I do not care about your feed back ....If you are not taking the chip of of your shoulder GOD will.

RIP Adam Strange and condolences to your wife and daughter ,parents ,friends and the whole community .

I start to read comments to see and learn about marines animals and people's experience .

I am just thankful it wasn't a director we cared about. a world without ben afflek is like a world without heath ledger.

I can't believe I'm reading this comment !!!.

RIP ADAM .

Bambi: New here?

Mark you are an insensitive POS! a person is killed in a unusual way and all you can do is try to be funny about it? Hide behind internet because you'd do that in front of me anywhere and you'd feel the weight of my fist in your @!$%#up clown face you idiot!

rockaddict, bet you wouldn't because just as he is hiding behind the internet to make his comment, you're hiding behind the internet making tough guy remarks. Funny thing about the internet, when your anonymous, you can pretty much say anything. So now we are required to be sensitive about everything? Geeze, lighten up buddy.

Sounds like someone forgot to yell, Cut!

"... an award-winning director of short films."

Well, this one's gonna be a quickie.

Those are some of my unanswered questions as well. I suspect it was a great white shark that killed this poor soul, and if I'm correct, it could have easily rolled away with this person in it's mouth, never to be seen again. It would have been nice if they had reported if the man's body had been recovered. A great white shark can do tremendous damage, and even if anything was left behind, it may have only been an upper or lower torso.

My heart goes out to those left behind. What a tragedy to have to think about your loved one dying in such a gruesome manner.

Gruesome, yes…...the great white is a terribly efficient killer. I would like to think that death came swiftly, if not instantly.

"...there had been just 48 confirmed attacks, eight of them fatal, since 1852. Those numbers did not include Wednesday's incident."

What "numbers"? 48 is one number.

As usual...a lot of the questions asked above were answered in the article. One post above claimed the shark was shot.

The accurate info given is that they used gun shots to scare the shark away.

I have read and heard from many many sources that human flesh is not on the menu for great whites. They bite to taste and usually swim away...as in experts think they identify people as being a seal.

I would like to know if Strange was wearing a black wetsuit. The last swimmer killed by a great white here in San Diego was a veterinarian training for triathlon. The shark came from below and knocked him up into the air which is typical of their seal strike. And, yes, he was wearing a wetsuit. He was with several other swimmers several hundred yards from shore. He bled out by the time they got him back to the beach.

Rule #1: Never eat peanut butter snickers prior to swimming in the ocean....

I remember that tom. I'm here in SD too. And yes, he was wearing a wetsuit. He was on an early morning training session with his team. They were all wearing wetsuits, so very likely they appeared to be a pod of sea lions.

My condolences to his family. I have always had an affinity for sharks. When things like this happen, it may not be very surprising, but it's always very sad.

I guess that only 14 attacks in nearly 200 years in this area is common to you?

I somehow think that the marine life would be most grateful if you stayed out of they backyard as well.

Who said anything about all of New Zealand?

I said in this area, not region.

But go ahead and call someone a dick if it you want to.

Feel better about yourself now?

Lets all tell those who get attacked how rare a shark attack is and make them feel better.

Don't you hate the blog police? Rather than connect with the message, they veer off into blather. An original thought would kill them.

Dave-2478570....

I do say I like your style...and I agree. People that think everyone is an idiot except themselves usually live in a self made bubble world.

Always remember...if you're gonna be a Dick, be armed with the correct information! And make sure the information is correct before you vote for a Dick!

That's the best advice for the guy you didn't mention that posted directly above you!

At least they said they shot the eating machine. Australia is also. There are way too many around some area's. It may be their home...but once they attack or eat someone they should be evicted permanently.

Sigh .. If you only had a point. You don't even know what the original post was do you?

The best advice is to get an original thought, but I see hangers on like you just blather away.

"Play hell getting me in ocean." But I'm sure you're okay getting in a car where over 32,000 people die in the US every year.

Good grief - I don't understand some people. I think the original post only meant to convey that they had no desire to go into the ocean because of the recent spate of shark attacks. And the fact is, shark attacks are on the rise all over the world. I don't know what the deal is, but swimming 200 yards off shore was not the best idea this poor soul ever had. They don't mention the time of day, which can play a role in attacks, nor is there any mention of seal activity in the area - so slam me if there are no seals in New Zealand.

My point is this, some of us would prefer to simply stick with swimming pools nowadays. And some of us like to spend our days "surfing" the blogs, looking for people to attack and pick on. Just remember, Karma is a beotch.

J. Hicks

Good grief - I don't understand some people. I think the original post only meant to convey that they had no desire to go into the ocean because of the recent spate of shark attacks. And the fact is, shark attacks are on the rise all over the world.

Exactly so. I am a certified SCUBA diver and I have not been in the ocean for years. The ocean's ecosystem is very compromised, from dying barrier reefs to the overfishing. That region has had problems with big trawlers from places like Korea, who break the fishing quota...which is already way too much. The concerned citizens have been trying to find a solution to this growing problem.

As a result, humans will definitely be on the shark-food list.

Auckland 7 attacks 1 fatality.

Nice try.

If someone would actually torpedoe or sink the "rogue fishing vessels", I bet it would help. Attacking pirates on the high seas used to be acceptable.

Tell me how these huge trawlers are any different. They are stealing the food source for everyone by overfishing.

And for the recreational swimmer.....I have noted that most of the attacks are swimmers a great distance from the beach and surfers. Sharks have attacked in real shallow water, but the vast majority are in deeper waters.

Like 99% of people who enter the water never get "over their head". The surfers and people "swimming a couple hundred yards from the beach sustain the vast majority of attacks.

Bottom line: When your time is up...time is up; so enjoy the water....or not.

I'll take my chances in the ocean considering more people die every year from the flu than the overall number of people who have died due to shark attacks since we have been keeping record.

@Siobhan-2863563 - spoken like an educated person with common sense! I always appreciate other bloggers who support my position on any given topic. :-)

I thought the same thing...especially in that part of the world, there are a lot bigger, more aggressive sharks in the southern Pacific.

I thought the same thing...especially in that part of the world, there are a lot bigger, more aggressive sharks in the southern Pacific.

This is tragic news. My thoughts and prays are with his family and friends. But I do have to agree. Going swimming 200 yards off shore in those waters is not a very smart thing to be doing. Sharks coming in clser to shore and attcking people is one matter -- this was really tempting the fates in this case. Going into their "terriory"-- You can not really "blame" the shark.

Rob, I'm with you on that one. I have lived by the ocean all my life. I have taught watersports (SCUBA, snorkeling, water skiing) and I am no longer confortable in the ocean. For many countries the barrier reefs no longer exist and so the bigger fish can now come to the shore. Combine that with humans and diseases taking away their food supply and what do you get?

And on the sharks web page it says...."any time I get a spare ten minutes I like to make myself a meat smoothie, then swim up the beach and eat a few pretentious yuppy surfers."

I windsurf, kayak, and paddle board on the ocean, but I would never swim out that far from shore. I see sharks all the time out there. I swim in the ocean only where I can touch the ground. While that is not a guarantee of a 100% safe swim, it is darn close to it.

Honey you feed the kids, i'll feed the fish!

The thing is, is that it is true that sharks and any other near shore predator does predominantly hunt within shallow water,but they do this primarily during the low llt hours of the morning and afternoon and all through the night. The rest of the time they are cruising in the deeper water just offshore of the surf break. They actually stack themselves in those edges and drop offs out there and wait the mid day out. If you put yourself out there where they are... it doesn't mean they are going to come up and hit you, but the chances of an attack rise expedentially!

People keep calling this a tragedy... as if it is some shocking event..but why be shocked by the fact that somebody tempted all the fates in world by swimming around in an environment known for lethal predators right smack dab in the middle of the highest concentration of them during daylight hours?

And if this guy was the "outdoorsman" he claimed himself to be.... then he damn well should have known what he was potentially getting himself into. No... what he was... was yet another human that has ignored all the principles of exisitng with the natural order of things and paid the price for it and the "villian" for his complete ignorance or blatant refusal to play by the rules of the physical world is now the poor damn shark! It's ludicrous!

For most tribes living on the shores of an ocean it is taboo to swim between dusk and dawn. They say that water does not belong to people after dark.

Sharks always follow fish. Birds always follow fish. Dolphins always follow fish. If you see signs of fish activity where you swim - get out of the water fast.

Max,

when I was fishing out of Honolulu we were tied up at a harbor called "Kewalo basin" between Wikiki and Pearl harbor. Hawaiian cultural history states over and over in several texts that the ancient Polynesians used that basin as a place for ritual sacrifce, as well as punishment for certain crimes because it is just seething with sharks, massive Hammerheads and Tiger sharks as well as White tipped reef sharks and several others.

All of which are known all over the world for being highly aggressive and not at all afraid to eat the hell out of you. So what they would do is throw whatever poor soul they meant to sacrifice in the mouth of Kewalo basin and sit there and watch the sharks churn them into hamburger or if you'd committed some crime they'd chunk your azz in there and if you were lucky enough to swim to the other side,unless it was some horrible and unforgivable crime you were free to go! Problem is they rarely got across because the sharks were more or less trained by the hundreds of people they had eaten over the years and were just circling around waiting for a handout.

Now here we are 120 or so years after the last few sacrifices in a harbor that is (or was) littered with commercial fishing boats and sport boats that are washing blood and bait and gruel out of the scuppers daily as well a fish packing house across the way disposing of heads and tails and you name what else after an auction. And just like in the sacrificial days there were hundreds of sharks coming and going through that channel and swimming along the seawall all day but especially early and late. It has a pretty descent swell rolling in for being on the south side of the island and a park right beside it and guess what?

Here would come these damn fools with their surf and body boards paddling in and out of one of the most shark infested harbors in the world and many many times right at the crack ofdawn or just at sunset! And inevitably at some point in time during a month somebody or bodies would have a chunk taken out of them...but do you think they ever once blamed themselves? Oh hell no! It was always the sharks fault or the fishermans fault..never their won damn fool stupidity for thrashing around over the top of a bunch of hammerheads and tiger sharks who have been conditioned to feed in that place!

And of course there would be all this wailing and gnashing of teeth over the "tradgedy" of the shark attack. I have absolutely no sympathy or empathy for avoidable stupidity! None at all!

I do feel sorry for the wife and kids..but it's apparent to me that this jackazz didn't care enough about his own family to not risk having his friggn legs chopped off by a Great white...because he wanted to be cool and be seen drinking smoothies and communing with the waves 'dude'.

Hell the poor damn shark didn't do a thing wrong!

"officers opened fire on the shark, which "rolled over and disappeared," "

Sounds to me like they missed. But, I live in Tennessee so I wouldn't know. [We don't have many sharks, or oceans for that matter. ] LOL

Like any wild animal, once it finds where and easy meal exists it will return and feast whenever it's hungry.

the fat content of a human is not something that will fuel a shark, which in this case was probably a great white

And mighty tasty they are, with some fava beans and a nice chianti.... sth sth sth sth sth sth

Why does swimming in the ocean make you an idiot?

@ John: As other have already pointed out here -- going to the beach and swimming in the surf is not the "dumb" part -- I am sure many of us have done that -- and have been doing so or most of our lives -- but going out 200 yards off shore into shartk infested waters (eg the "Ocean"— is not very smart -- for more than a few reasons. I just have to wonder if he was "pulled out" by the tides (or the shark) and it was not his intention to be swimming that far out.

Swimming in the ocean doesn't make you an idiot, swimming out THAT FAR where sharks are swimming around and may bite makes you an idiot, unless you understand and accept the consequences that may happen. Sorry, I didn't realize I'd have to type every detail in my statement to get my point across.

Sharks do quite a lot of swimming in shallow water too. If you go out a swim a couple km's you don't stay 20 yards from shore.

Yes, you're absolutely right that sharks swim at shore too, John. My one friend was in a helicopter flying over the ocean one time and told me, "It is unreal how close sharks are to people and they don't even realize it." But especially if you swim out further into the ocean it's a much higher risk of getting bit. Either way, stepping into the ocean in general has its risks. Ocean = sea creatures' territory; people need to realize it, accept it, and not be surprised if things like this happen. Animals should NEVER be shot because of a human's ignorance.

Actually sharks like to feed in less than 3 feet of water to close in their pray.

I am jealous at how this man lived and enjoyed life. You all should be so lucky. Sit back and blog about him, as he went out living life to the fullest.

There's a lot more inherent risk in many of our daily activities then there is in swimming far from shore... assuming your capable. I'm not sure why people (lots on the board) feel the need to call a dead man an idiot. As I said you can't swim distance close to shore where there's wave action. I'd be willing to bet that the members of the beach patrol that went out after him do similar swims as part of their regular duty. Sure it can get a little creepy at times but the odds of getting snatched up are infinitesimally small. I'm sure this man likely knew these waters well and wasn't afraid to live his life as he saw fit. At least it makes a cool tombstone.

John- You're right, I shouldn't have called the dead guy an idiot. He could've understood and was just living life to fullest. However, there are tons of idiots out there that do blame the animal and not themselves--I suppose that is why I instantly called him one because it is too common. However, the people that tried killing the shark are idiots and I will never take that back.

Robert- Yes they do, but generally (depending on the type of shark) they feed at dusk or night time towards the shore.

@addy However, there are tons of idiots out there that do blame the animal and not themselves--I suppose that is why I instantly called him one because it is too common. However, the people that tried killing the shark are idiots and I will never take that back.

You would take that back if it happens to your family member of even you.......than you would not call people idiots .

Bambi-

Did you ever hear those surfer stories where a body part of theirs got bit off but they didn't blame the animal, they understood nature, accepted it, understood the possible consequences of being in the water, and still continued to surf after the incident?

That is my point--if you are going into the water you have to realize the possible consequences that could happen. Why kill the shark when you chose to take the risk in the first place? Of course it's natural to be pissed but to shoot the shark for being a shark in its habitat isn't. Your statement is invalid to me.

Worsed? New Zeeland? You are killing the English language but you seem to be fine with that.

Most attacks occur in shallow water. It's a lot easier to swim long distance when you get out beyond the breakers.

Why would anyone want to swim long distance in the ocean? I don't understand this as a defense of this persons behavior. The ocean is dangerous and people are paid to help if someone is in trouble while in it, also, most people want to help another human if they hear their in distress. Swimming far from shore, in populated areas, puts many more people in danger and that isn't fair to them just because someone want to swim distance.

I'm no expert, so this is just conjecture... But other people posted that once a shark has fed, it will keep returning to that spot for food. I'm guessing they didn't want that shark, now with a taste for human flesh, to become a regular at the public beach.

I agree, we are just bait when we enter the ocean. Just a few attacks and we get all upset. Once the sharks are all gone, what will fill there place in the ecosystem? If sharks were out to eat peole we would see 10,000 atacks a day. There are hundreds of millions of people in the ocean every day.

Dude, you read my mind!!! 200 YARDS!!!! That is two football fields. He was obviously out of his mind...sorry to say.

Kind of like lib reporters who will stop at nothing to get a 'story'

Wow, lucky New Zealand.

I see your point-- people unwilling to risk their lives should just stay out of nature-- but I'd rather come across a sea urchin than a great white...

RL, Liberal reporters report the Truth and the Facts. TeaPots & Rightwing Nuts report on falsehoods, wrong assumptions that benefit them, and fear. Thanks for playing your 15 seconds are up[

Mito, what part of the story did you read? The man was swimming 200 Yards from the Beach. That is DEEP water.

You're going over the heads of the self centered.

@ Jim Reaper

I remember that, and if I recall, so as not to alarm the seals, she had dressed herself "like a seal" [ body suit, flippers, etc..] so that she could "swim with the seals". Everything was wonderful...her friends were filming the beautiful sharing moment between "man and beast". Then the seals vanished from the scene. Why? You guessed it - Mr Shark showed up and chowed down on the slow "seal".

Hard to be sympathetic for her when she dressed up as dinner.