'Dinosaur-sized' shark eats tourist

[BurtWorm]

Isn't nature wonderful?


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/13/cape-town-giant-shark-attack

Zimbabwean holidaymaker eaten by shark described by onlookers as 'longer than a minibus'

Witnesses today described their horror at seeing a tourist being eaten by a "gigantic" shark in South Africa's most popular holiday destination.

Lloyd Skinner was pulled under the surf and dragged out to sea by the shark, believed to be a great white, off Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town. His diving goggles and a dark patch of blood were all that remained in the water.

"Holy shit. We just saw a gigantic shark eat what looked like a person in front of our house," witness Gregg Coppen posted on Twitter. "That shark was huge. Like dinosaur huge."

The shocking attack yesterday afternoon came after an increase in recent shark sightings and led to calls for an electronic warning system to alert swimmers.

Skinner, 37, a Zimbabwean who lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was standing chest-deep 100 metres from the shore and adjusting his goggles when the shark struck. It was seen approaching him twice before he disappeared in a flurry of thrashing. Cape Town's disaster management services had issued a warning hours earlier that sharks had been spotted in the water, but the shark flag was not flying.

Witnesses described the terrifying scene. The shark was "longer than a minibus", Coppen told the Cape Times newspaper.

He said: "It was this giant shadow heading to something colourful. Then it sort of came out the water and took this colourful lump and went off with it. You could see its whole jaw wrap around the thing which turned out to be a person."


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[KittyWampus]

1. I hope he slipped out of consciousness quickly.

[Soylent Brice]

2. that's insane. i wonder why the shark flag wasn't up.

[flvegan]

3. This is why I stay on land.

Do not like sharks.

[BurtWorm]

4. They sure as hell aren't vegan.

[ret5hd]

5. But they REALLY like organic grass-fed free range human!

[MicaelS]

13. But I bet they would LOVE you....

Mmmmmm, long pig. :bounce:

[Lance_Boyle]

6. Wow - 100 meters from shore is only chest deep?

Sounds like a cool beach, but not cool enough for me to abandon my "no swimming/diving outside of shark cage in South Africa" rule.

[Lex]

7. Hey South Africa, "you're gonna need a bigger boat . . . "

[xchrom]

8. Yeeesh -- what a way to go. Nt

[lame54]

9. Skinner was killed?

[AnneD]

10. For we are crunchy....

without feathers or quills and taste good with catsup.

If it weren't for our brains (when we use them) we would occupy the same spot on the food chain as rabbits.

[BurtWorm]

11. Our brains make us extra delicious.

Except for freepers, for they are chewy.

[AnneD]

17. HAHAHAHAHAHA..........

:thumbsup:

[L0oniX]

12. I invite all the Wallstreet banksters to go swimming there.

[Ignis]

14. "standing chest-deep 100 metres from the shore"

Scary stuff. :scared:

[MilesColtrane]

15. "Duuuh Duhnt Duhnt Duhnt, Duuuh Duhnt Duhnt Duhnt"

[Larkspur]

16. Hope they don't kill this shark. I'm sorry for the man who became its meal but

for a shark to reach the size it is must have lived a long time.