The man attacked and killed by a shark off the coast of New Zealand was award-winning filmmaker.  46-year old Adam Strange in his biography describes himself as an avid outdoorsman who loves to "surf some big waves out on the West Coast ..."

Witnesses say Strange was swimming 200-meters off Muriwai Beach west of Auckland when they also caught sight of a Great White Shark.  Fisherman Pio Mose said, "all of a sudden ... we saw the shark fin, and next minute, boom, attack him then blood everywhere on the water."

Strange raised his hand up but was quickly pulled under the water.  Police went to the scene and attempted to shoot the shark, which they guessed was three to four meters long.

Fatal shark attacks are rare in New Zealand.  Only 14 have occurred since they started keeping records in 1937. 

Adam Strange was a filmmaker whose work was entered in several international festivals.  He won a Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his short “Aphrodite’s Farm”.