Looks like one swimmer in a group of ten was "tasted" by a Great White while about 150 yards off the beach in Solana Beach (North County San Diego). While it is well known that Great Whites are in the area, there has never been a proven attack down here in SD.
I've surfed all over the world and have seen sharks in the water on many occasions, but a White Shark chomping on a person within 5 miles of my house is a new one. You'll see it on all the network news tonight and I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions and good old fear-mongering about safety in the water.
But as far as I'm concerned, if you enter a food chain, you roll the dice. Whether getting pounced on by a mountain lion while trail riding or snacked on by a shark, nature always bats last....
My last shark encounter was while wading in thigh-deep water while flats fishing for bonefish and permit in the Florida Keys. What I thought was two bonefish tailing turned out to be a six foot bullshark that turned and lazily swam right at me...I didn't have many options, so I jabbed it in the snout with my fishing pole and it bugged out to deeper water..I promptly moved to ankle deep water and made my way back to the boat.
I love all creatures of the sea (including those cursed stinging jellyfish) and I see both a good side and a bad side to this:
Bad side: poor guy got killed while swimming, negative press for sharks
Good side: Less surfers in the water this Summer