Bryn Martin, Missing Swimmer, Possibly Attacked By Shark At Australian Beach

A 64-year-old man has disappeared off one of Perth, Western Australia's most popular beaches in what is suspected to be a shark attack.

The West Australian reported damage to the black bathing suit of Bryn Martin, the missing swimmer, which is consistent with what a great white shark would cause, according to fisheries experts.

Despite no shark sightings, police have closed the beach until further notice.

According to WA Today, Martin is described by police as a strong swimmer with a heart condition. When he failed to meet his family for breakfast and then a 90-minute search, Martin's wife contacted police.

Cottesloe Senior Sergeant Denise Grant said "hopes were fading that he would be found safe."

Martin went missing at 8am Australian Western Standard Time, October 10 and his swim trunks were recovered from the ocean floor at 3pm that afternoon.

Martin was last seen by a friend a few hundred meters offshore, PerthNow reports.

Senior Sergeant Grant said police would patrol the beach over night and the search would continue at dawn.

On September 4, body boarder Kyle Burden from Sydney was killed at Bunker Bay in Western Australia by what was believed to be a great white shark.

In November 2000, businessman Ken Crew was killed at North Cottesloe Beach by a great white shark in waist deep water.

PETA recently launched a new ad targeting a fisherman who was attacked by a shark, and said, "Sharks are not the most dangerous predators on Earth, we are."

An annual report by the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File found that an average of five people per year are killed by sharks, while fishing fleets kill up to 70 million sharks per year.
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Comments

[Max Shaw]

03:31 PM on 10/11/2011

Whenever I go swimming in the ocean now you bet I got my Wasp knife with me!

[redbuns]

07:18 AM on 10/11/2011

70 million sharks killed a year??? somehow i kinda question that figure.

[Chad Wheeler]

01:18 PM on 10/11/2011

More reliable estimates say 38 million. Which is still way too many.

[kwaut lizard]

05:07 AM on 10/11/2011

HP incorporating information from related blogs in its storyline, thank you HP and please keep it up.

My condolences to the family, ...

but he may have just done a Harold Holt and was picked up by a Chinese submarine to be with his mistress.

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-harold-holt-disappears.htm

[MikeWebster]

12:55 AM on 10/12/2011

I've never fully subscribed to that theory. I believe that his scouting mission for the Argosian invasion fleet from Galaxy 7 was over, and he was just picked up to return to home base for debriefing.

Other Argosians, included Ambrose Bierce, Amelia Aerhardt, and Jimmy Hoffer. I thought Gerry Rafferty was one for a while, but it turned out he'd just been on a drinking binge for a couple of years, and turned up again.

[kwaut lizard]

10:50 AM on 10/12/2011

Pure brilliance ... on behalf of the exploratory crews of the Argosians that is. I had heard rumors to this effect but you are the first to confirm my suspicions as fact. The others are a given, but don't underestimate Gerry Rafferty's modus operandi, the drinking is merely a cover for his extended explorations while assessing our planet as a suitable substitute for Galaxy 7's over-industrialized planetary complex. If you take the songs 'Another World', 'Baian Moon', 'Children of the Sun', 'In Transit', 'Late Again', 'Let Yourself Go', 'On The Way', 'The Wrong Way Round', 'Over My Head', and 'Outside Looking In' and use the number representation for the letters of the words in the lyrics, now interpret them according to the Reed-Solomon decoding methodology, all of them are Argosian messages regarding the invasion strategy for planet Earth.

Interesting how you overlooked Jim Thompson, Steve Fosset, Richey Edwards, Glenn Miller, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Roald Amundsen, and Joshua Slocum .... all renowned and accomplished Argosians. Is this Gerry Rafferty?

[Malcolm Hensley]

01:36 AM on 10/11/2011

OK I've erased this twice!

You mean it unwrapped it's food?

Sorry!

Oh come on! I can't be the only one thinking this!

OK maybe I was! But I bet I'm not now!

As an experience diver with lot's of time in the water with sharks I can sympathize with the family. Of course I think the victim prior to his engagement with the shark would have found humor in my comment.

I apologize again for these thoughts!

[Malcolm Hensley]

01:16 AM on 10/11/2011

You mean it unwrapped it's food first?

Sorry.

That was out of line!

As a Diver I bet I wasn't the only one thinking that!

OK! Maybe i'd like to think to think I was not the only one thinking that!

Again I apologize!

[MikeWebster]

12:58 AM on 10/12/2011

I can only imagine that would have been more distressing to the poor guy. Being attacked by a shark is bad enough, but when they rip your pants off first, it has to make you fear the worst.

[Malcolm Hensley]

02:06 AM on 10/12/2011

I had a buddy years ago I was diving with while spear fishing that use to keep the fish he shot right on his hip. I warned him several times it was a bad habit!

On day a 7 foot grey reef shark made a play for the fish on his hip and grabbed 10 pounds of good rump roast if you know what I mean.

The shark immediately released my friend and acted like a dog that just grabbed a burger and was caught and immediately ran off!

I use to kid my buddy he was the Ultimate Catch and Release!

He got more stitches than you can imagine! But was Ok and diving again just a few weeks later!