E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA husband and father was attacked and killed by a shark in Auckland as he was swimming 650 feet from the shore. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.
A man was attacked and killed by a shark Wednesday off the coast of New Zealand, police said.
Local media identified the victim as 46-year-old Adam Strange, an award-winning director of short films.
The victim was swimming about 200 yards offshore from Muriwai Beach, just west of Auckland, when he was attacked, New Zealand Police Inspector Shawn Rutene said.
Witnesses called police and lifeguards quickly jumped into action when the attack occurred about 1:30 p.m. local time Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday), but it was too late to save the man, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.
Police and lifeguards quickly took to the water in inflatable rescue boats, and officers opened fire on the shark, which "rolled over and disappeared," Rutene said in his statement, adding that the shark was estimated to be 12 to 14 feet long.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
People grieve outside Muriwai Surf Lifesaving Club after a swimmer died in a fatal shark attack at Muriwai Beach on Wednesday.
Authorities said they had closed Muriwai and nearby beaches as the investigation continued.
Shark attacks are uncommon in New Zealand, according to the University of Florida's Museum of Natural History.
According to the museum's International Shark Attack File, there had been just 48 confirmed attacks, eight of them fatal, since 1852. Those numbers did not include Wednesday's incident.
Neighboring Australia has had 510 confirmed attacks, 144 of them fatal, since 1700, according to the museum's figures, which it says were current as of Feb. 11.
In a biography on Strange's website, he described himself as an avid outdoorsman.
"When I get a spare 5 minutes, I like to make a fruit smoothy, surf some big waves out on the West Coast," the site says.
The New Zealand Herald reported that Strange had a wife and a baby daughter. "The family are grieving the loss of a glorious and great father, husband and friend," the family said in a statement reported by the newspaper.
A short film by Strange, "Aphrodite's Farm," won a Crystal Bear award for Best Short Film for people over 14 at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, according to the Internet Movie Database, or IMDb.com.
Strange said in his biography that he had made television commercials before turning to short film.
Related:
Kill sharks before they attack humans? Australian state will do just that
Leave a Comment:
Don't be a pussy.
Strange how people think killing all the animals of this planet will make them 'safe'!!
hmmmm How Strange
Only if the sharks could team up........GO SHARKS! Get them nasty paracite bi-pedals!
Great idea? Elimination of you're own species.
Are you suggesting that I might even be .........Human?
My prayers go out to his family. Very tragic. To all of you who think the sharks should be killed: My suggestion would be to stay out of their home. When you go into the ocean where they live, you are taking a risk. Same for poeple who wonder off into the woods and encounter bears or any wildlife.
Each and every time that someone goes out that far in the big pool that we all call 'oceans', he/she begins a game called 'wet roulette'. You spin the ball and in which slot that ball lands is up to chance. Some unlucky few always find that their 'number' is up and that is that. That shark doesn't care that the swimmer is a human with a family and friends that love him/her. The shark just knows that it is hungry and someone is swimming in its dining room table. I am a former US Navy sailor and I still know how to swim but I don't go putting myself in something's kitchen table unless I somehow begin to devalue my life's worth. Come on now, has anybody seen "Soul Surfer"? That blondie got away lucky only losing a limb. Just remember, there are no sharks like Lenny from "Shark Tales" or Bruce from "Finding Nemo" that are the species' equivalent of a vegetarian/vegan.
Aaaand CUT!!!!
Wow talk about being gutsy swimming in shark infested waters , he had balls that for sure , but totally stupid too
It seems that there's a lot of rare occurrences happening lately- shark attacks, crazy weather, etc. Mother Nature telling us that she's had it or are we just hearing about more of them - information age and all?
US libs - Time to ban swimming at beaches. Why shoot the shark...wasn't it the man's fault for entering the shark's habitat?
Put yourself in the water and the shark is hungry...not rocket science.
My friend, Kim Seibel, was eaten by a 9' Mako shark in the Florida Keys in 1981. When in their domain, things will happen. I was invited to that trip, but i told Kim I had to work.
Entering the area of ANY wild animal is dangerous.
Yeah, shooting the shark will solve everything---NOT! Think I'll leave the ocean to those that BELONG in it.
It seems too many people forget that the ocean belongs to the sharks and the rest of the sea life. If you are in the water you are basically 'on the menu'. Eradication of an apex predator like sharks, bears or wolves can have a devastating effect on the ecosystems. And by the way, calling it an attack is probably the most common and sensationalistic mistake made by the media.
thank you!
Shark attack is actually quite rare, your chance of getting hit by lightening is higher. When you enters the ocean, best know you're a fish out of water and a fair game for anything lurking below!
Sorry to hear about this guy, but you are playing in the shark's back yard
Being eaten by a shark is awful, but usually pretty quick. Especially a big shark. Rapid blood loss and unconsciousness. Probably little pain, and instant shock. If you were going to be eaten, a shark would probably be one of the quicker deaths. Eaten by a Grizzly, now there's a rotten way to go. They like to play with their food.
hopefully some politicians and lawyers go swimming over there soon
Even with "peanut brain", sharks knows some of the politicians and lawyers are "tasteless".
I don't think that the sharks would find Obama too tasty, they don't have a liking for the taste of $#!t. They wouldn't find Hillary too tasty, either! Blood clots give them constipation.
We all play in there back yard. very very sad
A GPS tracking device was implanted in the dorsal fin of a 14 ft female Great White shark here on the Outer Cape (MA) and released back into the ocean. Her travels down the Eastern seaboard and back were recorded and it was revealed that she was often a few hundred yards off various beaches WITHOUT a single attack on humans!
Ironically, little is said of the barbaric practice of shark ''finning'' which is common in the Far East to satisfy a craving (not to mention ''prestige'') of shark fin soup. Medieval ''snake oil'' remedies derived from tiger, rhino,etc. body parts are reputed to ''cure'' most any ailment inc. cancer. No wonder many species of animals and fish are endangered or extinct.
I have said more than once that there needs to be open season on sharks, but ignorance runs rampant and people think it will get better! And open-season should include 'gators, 'crocs, poisonous snakes, and dangerous river-fish. People just won't learn.
Homo sapiens are FAR more dangerous than any species of reptile, fish, etc. which are not afflicted with GREED and ARROGANCE. The chances of being killed or attacked by another human are far greater than that posed by any form of wildlife.
This is indeed a tragic event and my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the shark who had Dad taken from them before his time. Poor Daddy shark was just looking for lunch and gets shot dead by zealous life guards in a typical revenge shooting. It reminds me of the United States and the streets of Chicago. The human swimmer was far away from his own turf. If he had been asked about the danger of sharks on the previous day he probably would have laughed and said, "I've been doing this for years. There are no sharks." RIP, Mr. Shark.
I surf, but I also read the headlines and know that shark attacks are becomming more common despite what the experts say. In the Ocean you are part of the food chain and one must be aware of that. I pray a lot before I enter the water, first to catch waves, second to be safe; many things can happen. I'm sorry for this man and his family, but as I get older, I'm becomming more content with my swimming pool and only need to surf one good time a year, of course I don't live by the Ocean anymore and in a way I know that's good for me, because if I did I'd be there everyday and as overfishing of our Oceans continue, sharks are attacking us more. I'm in agreement with a lot of people here, shooting at the shark was just plain boneheaded. R.I.P dude.
Why kill the shark? He was in his habitat.
Just a thought here....
Only white people are eaten in the ocean...has anyone else realized this? You'll never see a black bear trainer, a black bungy jumper, a black sky diver, a black alligator wrestler, or a black person doing anything as dumb as swimming around 200 miles off the coast for enjoyment. Are white people more likely to seek out life risking activities for fun?
I joke, of course, this truly is a sad story.