– It’s just a really tight-knit ocean-loving community.
Everybody generally has the same sort of healthy ocean lifestyle
vibe.
That’s what makes this area so unique.
– Scott Bass has called San Diego home for over 40 years.
– I love living here.
You’re so close to what really amounts
to the largest national park that we have,
which is the Pacific Ocean.
It provides a lot of fulfillment.
– San Diego is a coastal oasis for its beautiful shoreline
and marine wildlife.
Just below the surface is a coastal view of iconic animals,
like the California sea lion and the official state
marine fish, the hard-to-miss Garibaldi.
But sitting atop the food chain are sharks.
Historically, interactions between sharks and humans
are rare.
But in 2008, a horrifying incident occurs.
– There was a lot of disbelief.
This hadn’t happened in San Diego in over 50 years.
It was a sad day.
It felt like summertime.
It was a beautiful San Diego day.
– In the early morning, Scott Bass
was paddleboarding along Fletcher Cove, about 15 miles
north of the city of San Diego.
He’s near a group of triathletes in training.
Among them is retired veterinarian Dr. Dave Martin.
– Dr. Martin was swimming with his triathlete group.
They were approximately 150 yards off of the surf line.
– But somewhere below the group, a predator takes aim.
[loud bang]
A shark sinks its teeth into Dr. Martin’s legs
and launches him out of the water.
He screams for help.
– Help!
– Everyone in the water is stunned.
– It was very surreal.
People were scared.
– Dr. Martin disappears underwater.
Finally, the shark releases its hold,
and the group pulls Dr. Martin back to shore.
First responders race into action.
[helicopter rotor blades]
– I remember the helicopter came right above me
and just boomed down on me, “There’s been a shark attack.
Please get out of the water immediately.”
– But for Dr. Martin, the injuries to his legs
are too severe.
Before he can be transported to a hospital,
he succumbs to his injuries.
The tragedy captures the attention of Southern
California residents.
– There was a lot of police there.
There was a lot of media there.
There was a lot of shock.
There was a lot of sadness.
There was a lot of despair.
– And news outlets cover it worldwide.
– You know, it’s a big deal.
You know, there hasn’t been a shark attack–
a fatal shark attack in San Diego in something
like 50 years.
– Residents are stunned.
Since 1970, the area has averaged about one attack
every three years.
But Dr. Martin’s fatal incident in 2008
is just the harbinger of things to come.
In 2009, a sudden spike takes hold, six
attacks in only seven months.
– I’m sure any number of parents were concerned.
People were trying to figure it out.
[music playing]
