Shark kills Port St Johns surfer

16 January 2012
SIYA BOYA and MSINDISI FENGU

HORROR ATTACK: Lifeguards and bathers rush to bring in the 25-year-old surfer who was attacked by a shark yesterday at Second Beach in Port St Johns. He did not survive his injuries @Picture: ROGER BULBRING

A PORT St Johns surfer died yesterday after being  attacked by a shark at Second Beach.

The 25-year-old man who cannot be named until his next of kin  have been notified, was surfing,  and has been described by those  who were at the scene as brave.

A bystander at the beach said  there was blood everywhere and  that he had never seen so much  blood.

Provincial health spokesman  Sizwe Kupelo said the young man  from the Thombo area sustained  severe injuries to his chest and  arms after fighting off the shark  with his surfboard.

“He was just an ordinary guy  enjoying the ocean and the weather.

“The shark was spotted by  somebody else who alerted other  swimmers, but unfortunately it  was too late for the deceased.”

Kupelo said the man had fought  with the shark for a “good five  minutes” before he was pulled out  of the water.

“His injuries were severe, but  while he was fighting for his life  he was shouting for others to get  out of the water,” Kupelo added.

According to Kupelo, the deceased was in water about a metre-and-a-half deep.

Kupelo said doctors on the  scene did their best to keep the  young man alive .

“The doctors tried to help him.  The ambulance arrived timeously  and he was rushed to hospital. He  died on the way to the hospital.”

Ncedolwethu Mphohliwe said  he saw the shark first, and started shouting for people to get out  of the water.

“I saw the fin of the shark and  as I told people to get out of the  water I heard him scream and  within seconds the water had  turned red,” Mphohliwe said.

“He had a surfboard with him  and he used it to wrestle off the  shark.

“Lifeguards started blowing  their whistles, but by that time  there was blood everywhere.

“I have never seen so much  blood in my life. I am not sure if I  will ever be able to swim there  again.”

Port St John’s police spokesman  Captain Mduduzi Godlwana confirmed the incident.

Godlwana said an inquest docket has been opened, and confirmed the victim had suffered severe injuries to his arms and  chest in the incident that happened at about 3pm.

“We constantly warn people to  be aware of sharks. This happens  yearly here.”

Godlwana said at this stage it  was unclear what type of shark  had attacked the young man.

A surfing expert, Michael  Gatcke, who lives near the beach,  said shark attacks were prevalent  during this time of the year .

“There’s a theory that sharks  attack people when they swim in  the far and deep areas, but this  attack happened close to the  shore.”

He said his advice would be for  people not to go deeper in the  water than knee height.

In a statement yesterday, National Sea Rescue Institute  spokesman Craig Lambinon said  the volunteer sea rescue duty  crew in Port St Johns had been  activated following the incident.

Lambinon said that according  to John Costello, station commander of the NSRI at Port St Johns,  they had rushed to the scene  when the attack was reported.

A surfer and other bathers  managed to rescue the man from  the surf, and lifeguards on duty at  the beach and a doctor who happened to be at the beach at the  time began treatment before EMS  paramedics arrived.

They continued with treatment  while transporting the man to a  local clinic in a critical condition.

“At the clinic medical staff declared the man dead after all efforts to save him had been exhausted.

“The sea at the time showed  poor visibility with very warm  water.

“The Natal Sharks Board are  currently carrying out studies in  an effort to try to determine why  there has been such a frequent  spate of shark incidents in Port St  Johns,” Lambinon said.

According to Gatcke, there had  been a number of shark attacks at  the beach.

“There have been some unconfirmed attacks where people in  some cases are suspected to have  drowned.

“I think this is the most dangerous beach to swim.”

Gatcke recalled one attack in  2007, three in 2009, one unconfirmed attack in 2010, one in 2011  and the current one in 2012.

“There have been unconfirmed  reports of attacks in between these.”

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