J-Bay Shark Attack
Friday 11 October 2013 A man swimming off Surfers' Point, Jeffreys Bay, has died in a shark attack. Eye witnesses claim the man was bitten in two and died instantly. The NSRI confirmed that remains of a body has been retrieved.
Craig Lambinon from the NSRI confirmed to Wavescape that a fatal attack had taken place at Point to a snorkeller, and that they were on the scene. See their press statement below.
A resident said he spoke to a member of the Supertubes Foundation, who said the victim was a swimmer with a blue bathing cap. He was apparently swimming close to the rocks, when a single, large shark attacked him and pulled him out to deeper water. A local surfer, Terry Olivier, was out on his sea kayak paddling from the Kabeljous side lower down the point when he apparently saw the man lying with his head down in the water.
Terry saw the shark, which he said was longer than his kayak. He tried to retrieve the body but the shark did not let go. He hit it with his oars, but it kept coming back.
According to some witnesses, the shark was mistaken for two sharks because the distance between tail and back fin was so long. The NSRI raced to the scene and apparently circled the remains on jetskis to guard over the victim's remains until they could get a body bag.
Resident Paul van Jaarsveld said: "We are all in shock. I was about to get in the water to shoot a fish for lunch."
There were two snorkellers and a few surfers out in the water, apparently oblivious to the incident, which was seen from the shore by several bystanders.
The NSRI sent out this official release:
At approximately 11h30 (Friday, 11 October) NSRI Jeffreys Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following reports of a shark incident at Lower Point, next to Albatros Beach, Jeffreys Bay.
NSRI Jeffreys Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched 2 sea rescue craft and the SA Police Services responded
On arrival on-scene remains of a body, believed to be those of an adult male, have been recovered from the water and handed into the care of the Police and the Forensic Pathology Services.
It appears, according to eye-witness reports, that the as yet unidentified male victim had been snorkeling at the time of the incident.
Police are investigating.