Second shark encounter in Garden Route this weekend:  Surfer has leg amputated by shark bite at Knysna today

Breaking…

There has been another shark bite incident in the Garden Route this weekend, this time at Knysna where a surfer suffered complete amputation of his right leg above the knee and lacerations to his left leg in a shark encounter this afternoon.

And Knysna Municipality has subsequently closed all beaches in the municipal area.

19 year-old Caleb Swanepoel, from Prins Albert, who is a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), was bitten by the shark at Buffels Bay, between Knysna and Sedgefield. On Friday evening another surfer, Dylan Reddering,  was bitten and taken to hospital suffering from shark bite wounds  after an encounter with a shark at Look Out Beach, Plettenberg Bay. (Read article here:  https://stfrancischronicle.com/2015/06/27/23-year-old-bitten-by-shark-at-plett-yesterday/  )

Declan Nurse, NSRI Knysna deputy station station commander, said at  2. 14 pm today, 27 June, NSRI Knysna volunteer duty crew were activated and launched their sea rescue craft Jaytee III to respond to the scene. An NSRI medical team the NSRI doctor, Dr Grant Trollip, WC Government Health EMS, ER24 ambulance services and All Sound Security also responded.

Swanepoel was rescued from the water by fellow surfers. A local doctor, Dr Dee Richmond, on the scene at the time and her husband, initiated emergency medical treatment to Swanepoel, a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

The NSRI medical team continued medical treatment to the patient who was conscious and in a serious but stable condition. He was loaded onto a surf board and carried to an ER24 ambulance in the parking lot.

Paramedics assisted the NSRI doctor with emergency medical treatment to further stabilise the patient.

Metro Control activated the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter which airlifted the patient to George Medi-Clinic in a stable but serious condition for further treatment.

Swanepoel visits the area regularly on holiday with his family.

With two shark encounters in two days along the Southern Cape coast this weekend, NSRI urges bathers and surfers to be cautious and advises everyone not to enter the sea until Municipal Authorities advise further.  The municipality closed all its beaches this afternoon.

“The bite marks will be investigated by authorities in ongoing research with shark encounters of this nature and to determine the species of shark, although it is suspected that this was a White Shark,” Nurse said.

(edited)