Great white takes diver near Westport
August 15th 2004 California Fort Bragg
By TONY REED Of The Beacon

Sheriff's Department and marine officials confirmed Tuesday that
abalone diver, Randall "Randy" Fry, whose body was found in the
ocean near Westport Monday, had been the victim of a Great White
Shark attack.

After seeing the bite mark left on Fry's body, Sheriff's Lt. Don
Miller said he had received information that only a great white
could inflict that type of damage. According to Miller, the bite
mark spanned from one shoulder to another on the victim. In 30 years
with the department, he had never seen anything like it, Miller
said.

According to Sheriff's Department reports, the Fry and his friend
Cliff Zimmerman, of Fort Bragg, had been diving in an area just
south of Westport, off Kibesilla Rock in around 15 feet of water
Sunday afternoon. Upon surfacing for air, Zimmerman saw what was
described as "a big fish" swim between him and Fry. Zimmerman
immediately swam to their fishing boat, where another friend was
standing by, however Fry disappeared. The two notified the Coast
Guard after finding no signs of him.

Personnel from the Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue, along
with Westport Fire, the Coast Guard and the Department of Forestry
immediately began searching the area, but called off the search
after dusk.

The following day, Search and Rescue personnel found Fry in about 15
feet of water, but suspecting that sharks might still be in the
area, chose not to enter the water to retrieve his body. A USCG boat
was called to the scene to pull Fry from the water Monday.

A complete autopsy began Tuesday. Sheriff's Lt. Coroner Kurt
Smallcomb said that in their preliminary examination, the bite
measured about 18 inches across, causing the separation of head from
torso. Smallcomb reported that no teeth fragments were apparent in
the preliminary investigation, but the full autopsy is still pending.

Fry was the West Coast regional director of the Northern California
Chapter of the Recreational Fishing Alliance and had come to Fort
Bragg for a fund-raiser that took place Saturday in Noyo Harbor. He
was one of several speakers at the Economic Outlook Conference April
15, 2004 at Dana Gray Middle School auditorium. Fry spoke of how
recently adopted regulations were negatively affecting the sport
fishing industry.

RFA-NorCal is a coalition of private boat anglers, spear fisherman,
bank and kayak anglers, and allied sport fishing organizations who
represent the individual angler and diver in the fishery management
process. RFA-NorCal is the most active local chapter in the nation's
largest grass-roots political lobby association.


A terrifying, tragic encounter

Zimmerman described the event in detail by telephone Monday
afternoon. At the time of the attack, he and Fry were only a couple
feet apart. Saying that they had only stopped for a few seconds on
the surface for air, Zimmerman was not looking at Fry when he sensed
the first signs of something wrong.

"He might have just dove, I was looking down when I heard an
instantaneous whooshing sound, and felt the water move, as if a boat
went by," Zimmerman said. "I turned to see what it was and saw the
side of a big fish."

Zimmerman then saw a fin and part of the shark's body as it came to
the surface of the water at a high rate of speed and disappeared
again. He said that at that point he realized that the worst may
have happened.

"The way it hit, I was sure it had my friend," he said.

Saying that he could see a diving tube in the water several feet
away, Zimmerman added, "then everything turned red."

Their boat was anchored about 150 feet away, occupied by Red
Bartley, of Modesto. Zimmerman said he could hear Bartley yelling
that he could see blood as well, and was pointing to the area where
the attack occurred. Zimmerman said that he looked around in a state
of panic and began swimming for the boat, fearing that he would also
be attacked at any moment. Fortunately, he made it to the boat
unhurt.

"It's something you never dream would happen," he said, adding that
he and Fry were good friends. Each had been diving around 30 years.

A second boat arrived in the area, and after communicating with the
two, the operator began looking around in the water as well, said
Zimmerman. Emergency personnel were contacted and began to arrive
shortly afterward.


Shark attacks uncommon

Sean Van Sommeran, Executive Director and CEO of the Santa Cruz-
based Pelagic Shark Foundation, agreed that the bite could only have
been caused by a Great White. Although other types of sharks, namely
the six- and seven-gilled variety, have been known to reach that
size, none have never been documented to attack humans.

"I would be very surprised if it was anything other than a great
white," he said.

When asked if the bite width could be used to determine the length
of the shark, researchers have to be very careful. According to Van
Sommeran, the violent nature of an attack, and the flexible jaw
structure of the shark may distort the evidence left by the bite. As
the shark's skeletal structure is cartilage, and the jaw can flex at
four separate points, the mouth can distort and stretch during an
attack.

"You can't always go by that," he said.

Van Sommeran also said that the 15-foot water depth was common for
great whites to inhabit, as the larger ones come to shallower waters
this time of year. Great whites and Tiger Sharks have even been
known to pursue a seal or sea lion into the white water surf, Van
Sommeran added.

As to the reason for the attack, Van Sommeran said that research
showed that mistaken identity was not always the case.

"It doesn't have to look like a sea lion for the shark to bite it,"
he said. "It's not always so much what it is, but how close it is."

Saying that sharks will often bite something simply to determine
what it is, Van Sommeran added that after a bite most will rarely
return to continue feeding.

Van Sommeran noted that he knew of Fry, and also said that he was an
experienced diver, who knew the ocean and its potential for danger
well.

"He wasn't careless at all," said Van Sommeran, making note of the
fact that Fry was diving with a buddy, and following commonly
accepted safety guidelines.

Van Sommeran said that anyone who dives or surfs knows well that the
presence of sharks and other hazards are a possibility, and have
resolved themselves to the threat.

Lt. Miller expressed extreme concern that surfers tend to frequent a
beach located around a mile from the attack location. Miller said
that with very low tides expected this weekend, the open water may
attract more divers to the area.

However, the frequency of shark attacks is very rare, Van Sommeran
said. Since 1926, only about a dozen attacks had been documented.
Considering the amount of people who go into the water every day,
it's amazing to think that these are all the attacks that have
occurred, he said.

When asked what advice he would give to surfers, divers and
swimmers, Van Sommeran suggested to go with a friend, and pay
attention to surroundings.

"Make no mistake," he said, "when you enter the ocean, you are
entering the ocean."

Great Whites are a protected species in California, restricted from
hunting or fishing, and are crucial to controlling the population of
seals and sea lions.