Grandma swallowed by shark as big as a helicopter!

07 April 2005
SAN ONOFRE (Sun-Post) - An elderly woman was devoured by a 22ft great white shark as she took a morning surf at a San Onofre Surf Beach yesterday. Witnesses including children saw the beast attack 77-year-old grandmother three times then circle her before dragging her beneath the waves 60ft off Old Mans. Her red surfing cap floating on the swell was all that was left. Lifeguards who searched in vain said they had spotted a shark 'as big as a helicopter'.

The Mayor and his side-kick Mini mayor watched the horror from Mini's beachside abode. He said he saw a wild thrashing in the sea and at first thought the shark was attacking a sea lion. 'Then I saw somebody in the water. There was a hell of a lot of blood,' he said. ' I then saw the shark circle around the victim, and then in just one big mouth, and not even breaching the water, took her in.'

Another witness, Joe Isuzu, said the shark 'took her, left her lying in the water, and then came back for her again and again'. The grandmother, who lived alone locally, had regularly surfed there at dawn for 47 years.

'She surfed every day, except on Sundays. Then she would walk down to church,' said Grumpy, one of a group of friends who were with her. 'She was a tall, very elegant, handsome lady. She was athletic and in excellent health,' he added.

She had often been warned not to go too far out but always said, 'When it's my time, it will be my time,' said Ranger Ephriam.

An air-sea rescue mission failed to find a body.

Dr. Puttzle of the National Sea Rescue Institute said a shark had been spotted in the vicinity, which he said was 'bigger than the helicopter, just huge'. He added that it was highly usual for a great white to repeatedly attack a person. He suspected that fish released by a school teacher fishing in the area may have created a feeding frenzy.

It was the third shark attack in the area in just over a year and the beach has now been closed to surfers until further notice. The great white is found in large numbers around south Orange county. Sightings at San Onofre bay have increased dramatically in recent years.