A 43 year-old man was attacked and bitten by a suspected White shark off-shore of Arniston in the Western Cape this morning, 23 June.
The man from Bettys Bay suffered multiple lacerations and bite marks to his left leg and thigh, plus an avulsion injury to his left leg and thigh and lacerations to his right hand that was used to fend off the shark.
He had been spear fishing with friends from a boat at Ryspunt when the shark attack occurred.
Reinard Geldenhuys, NSRI Agulhas station commander, said NSRI volunteer duty crew were activated at 12.05 om. Fellow spear fishermen brought the injured man to Arniston harbour and used rubber bands from their spear guns to tourniquet the wounds.
NSRI medics and Fire and Rescue Services paramedics treated the man with wound dressings, oxygen and intravenous fluids. The patient was then transported by an EMS ambulance to Bredasdorp hospital in a serious but stable condition. He was stabilised before being airlifted by EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter to a Cape Town hospital.
(edited by Bev Mortimer)
St Francis Chronicle 