New Zealand dad kiled by shark
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — About 150 friends and family of Adam Strange wrote messages to him in the sand and stepped into the water Thursday at a New Zealand beach to say goodbye a day after he was killed by a large shark while training for an endurance swim.
Strange, 46, was an award-winning television and short film director and the father of a 2-year-old girl. He was swimming near popular Muriwai Beach on Wednesday when he was attacked by the shark that was possibly 14 feet (4 meters) long.
Police attempting to save him raced out in inflatable boats and fired gunshots at the enormous predator, which they say rolled away and disappeared. They couldn't confirm if they'd killed it. Police were able to recover Strange's body.
Muriwai and several nearby beaches remained closed for swimming after the fatal attack, one of only about a dozen in New Zealand in the past 180 years.
Friend Adam Stevens said the Thursday beach service was run by indigenous Maori who removed the "tapu" or spiritual restriction at the beach. He said it was a "perfect tribute" to a man who spent much of his time swimming and surfing.
"He was a very robust, big, barrel-chested surfer," Stevens said. "He was basically completely obsessed with the ocean, with paddle boards and body surfing, everything. His garage was like a museum of surf craft."
According to Police Inspector Shawn Rutene, Strange was about 200 meters (650 feet) from the shore when he was attacked by a shark that police estimated was up to four meters (14 feet) long.
Stevens said his friend was planning to swim about 1 ½ kilometers (one mile) Wednesday as he tested new goggles and trained for an annual endurance swim from Auckland to Rangitoto Island. The 4.5 kilometer (2.8 mile) swim takes place on Sunday.
"I surfed with him the day before," Stevens said. "He wasn't that pleased with his fitness level but was just getting into the right headspace and finding the motivation to get out there."
Pio Mose, who was fishing at the beach Wednesday, told the New Zealand Herald newspaper he saw Strange struggle against the huge shark. Mose yelled at Strange to swim to the rocks, but it was too late.
"All of a sudden there was blood everywhere," Mose said. "I was shaking, scared, panicked."
About 200 people had been enjoying the beach during the Southern Hemisphere summer at the time of the attack.
Stevens said he's been comforting Strange's wife Meg and their daughter since the accident. He said the girl is too young to understand what has happened but is aware of the emotions.
On his website, Strange says: "When I get a spare 5 minutes, I like to make a fruit smoothy, surf some big waves out on the West Coast, point my skis down a mountain with Meg, haul my mountain bike up and down a few hills, drink some pinot while scratching away at a film script ... If I get a spare 5 minutes ..."
Stevens said his friend, whom he's known about 15 years, was very creative and always positive.
"He lived in the moment brilliantly. It was completely infectious," Stevens said. "He feasted on the details."
Strange won a Crystal Bear award for best short film at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival.
Police did not say what species of shark was involved in the attack. Clinton Duffy, a shark expert with the Department of Conservation, said New Zealand is a hotspot for great white sharks, and other potentially lethal species also inhabit the waters.
Attacks are rare. Duffy estimated that only 12 to 14 people have been killed by sharks in New Zealand since record keeping began in the 1830s.
"There are much lower levels of shark attacks here than in Australia," he said. "It's possibly a function of how many people are in the water" in New Zealand's cooler climate.
He said that during the Southern Hemisphere summer, sharks often come in closer to shore to feed and to give birth, although that doesn't necessarily equate to a greater risk of attack.
"Ninety-nine percent of the time they ignore people," he said. "Sometimes, people get bitten."
Around the world, sharks attacked humans 80 times last year, and seven people were killed, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. The death toll was lower than it was in 2011 but higher than the average of 4.4 from 2001 to 2010.
「ちいむら」では
２月１１日３月１０日（日曜日）予定に「復興支援デイ」を設けようと思っております
宮城から参加していた小学生が、３月３日（彼の誕生日）に麓の家に引っ越してきます
彼も含め、子どもたちと一緒にあらかじめケーキやお菓子を焼き
地元の方々の善意の品を集め
値段つけ、展示もし、募金箱も設置し
チラシも作成し、売上は全部被災地に送るというイベントです
子どもたちに「被災地で苦しんでおられる方々のことを考える日 ＆ 行動を起こす日」をしたいと思っております
もし、みなさまの手元に「これをその復興支援デイに使っても」という品がありましたら
是非ご協力お願いいたします
左サイドバーに「メッセージを送る」という欄がありますのでそちらか
麓の夢のブログの下の方にある「川湯ビレッジ」宛にお願いいたします
麓の夢のブログは
こちら
ご訪問ありがとうございます
人気ブログランキングへ
にほんブログ村
みなさん、最近コメントお返し＆訪問できてなくてごめんなさいm(_ _)m
明日アップしますが、雪で大変な事態になっており
って言い訳ですが、ほぼ陸の孤島状態ですｗ
記録的な大雪 ２０１３年
みなさま、クリック募金にご協力お願いいたします
別に自慢ではありませんので誤解していてほしくないのですが
始めてから毎日で
こちら （全体）
こちら（個人）
の結果です
私たちは助け合うべきではないでしょうか？？？
一年前の流氷記事
復興支援
☆∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴.☆
::::::／＼::::::
::::／／＼＼:::: ★★
::／／田田＼＼::
／／┌─┬┐＼＼
￣││ o││∥￣
爻││_ ││∥彡
""'""'""'""'""'"'""" '" '" "
￣ ￣
☆∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴..∴.☆
命の海が今も怖い。東日本大震災の津波で福島県浪江町請戸の自宅と漁船を流された浮渡（うきと）宣夫さん（４３）は、約２０年続けていた漁師にもう戻れないと思い始めている。間近に迫った津波の記憶、仲間を「死なせた」後悔が、まだ胸をふさぐ。東京電力福島第１原発事故で海が汚され、県内漁業は復活の緒についたばかりだ。「２年」が近づく今、先が見えない。
【漁船やがれきが放置されたままの浪江町】写真で見る 空から見た福島第１原発３キロ圏の惨状
あの日、バックミラーを見る余裕も勇気もなかった。海沿いの自宅へ車で戻ろうとした浮渡さんは、１００メートル手前で堤防を越す津波を見てすぐＵターン。狭い農道を全速力で逃げた。視界の端に水の塊が映る。約２キロ西の避難場所・大平山で車を飛び降り、やぶをかき分け斜面を上って、振り返ると「町がなくなっていた」。コンクリート製の建物４棟を除き、古里は真っ黒い海に沈んでいた。
たとえ一つでも違う行動を取っていたら、命はなかった。それを思うとぞっとする。
津波で漁協の青壮年部の仲間２人を亡くした。揺れが襲った時は部の活動で、海から約６キロのショッピングセンターで一緒だったのに……。「仲間が自宅に戻るのを部長だった自分が止めれば、誰も死なずにすんだ」。自責の念が消えることはない。
津波禍は免れたが、原発事故で県内外を転々と避難した。隣の南相馬市の借り上げ住宅に父通正（みちまさ）さん（７３）と落ち着き、昨年１０月から市内にある浪江町役場の出張所で働く。高校卒業後に２年弱、家業を継ぐ前にバス会社に就職して以来約２０年ぶりの事務仕事だ。日の出前に出航し海を相手にしてきた漁師とは、仕事の内容も生活のリズムも大きく変わった。だが県の期間限定の雇用事業なので最大１年間しか勤められない。
かつての仲間は船に乗り、放射線のモニタリング検査やがれき処理などで海に出る。漁を始めたと聞けばうれしいし、自分も頑張ろうと思える。「しかし、いつ震災前のような漁ができるのか。生活できるのか」
小さいころから海を見て育った。海の近くに住むのが当たり前だった。震災後、たとえ静かな海でも落ち着かない。どっちへ逃げたらいいか、と考える自分がいる。「海の近くにはいたいけれど、できれば少し距離を保ちたい」と吐露する。
津波ですべてを流され、原発事故で仕事場を奪われた。立ち入り禁止の警戒区域となった浪江町内の田んぼに、漁船は放置されたままだ。１１年秋に一時帰宅した際、船舶免許証と網の修理道具などを持ち帰った。手にすると、断ち切れぬ思いが頭をもたげる。「天気の良い日は漁に出たら気持ちがいいだろうな」と。【長田舞子】
川湯ビレッジでは随時生徒を募集しております
詳しくは
こちら
ご訪問ありがとうございます
