Cape Town - A Cape Town man is in stable condition and in good spirits after surviving a shark attack in Jeffreys Bay on Wednesday.
NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander Paul van Jaarsveld said duty crew were activated at about 5.30pm following reports of a man bitten by a shark while surfing at Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay.
“A bystander had raised the alarm and was provided the access code to the NSRI shark bite kit stationed at that beach.
“NSRI Jeffreys Bay rescue swimmers and NSRI medics responded directly to the scene while an NSRI rescue craft was prepared to be launched,” Van Jaarsveld said.
When they got to the scene, NSRI medics assisted members of the public who had already applied trauma pads to the bite wound sustained by the surfer who was safely out of the water.
The man, believed to be aged 50, was in a stable condition and in good spirits.
“An eye-witness reported that fellow surfers, who had initially retreated out of the water after being alerted that there had been an incident involving a shark, had returned into the surf to fetch the casualty out of the water.”
The man was secured on to a stretcher and transported to a hospital for further care.
“NSRI commend the swift action of the public and the good Samaritan fellow surfers,” Van Jaarsveld said.
NSRI and Kouga Municipality are appealing to bathers, surfers and sea users in the area to be cautious following the incident.
Cape Times