Was a woman killed by a black marlin while she snorkeled in shallow water an Indonesian beach?
According to a report published in various Asian news sources, the woman was killed it “attacked her with its sharp bill.” The 39-year-old woman died in the hospital.
However, toward the end of the brief account, is this: “…the black marlin that attacked the victim was the size of a man’s arm.” Lacking any visual identification of the fish, and given that the unprovoked attack occurred near a sandy beach, it may well have been an entirely different species. Large needlefish (houndfish or longtoms) — as shown in the second photo — for example have been known to seriously injure swimmers, presumably while darting along the surface after prey or to escape a predator.
