14-year-old Plet surfer’s shark scare
“It’s not a good time of year to swim in the sea.” That’s the advice from the National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NRSI) Craig Lambinon, following yesterday afternoon’s shark bite incident at The Waves, a popular surf spot at Keurboom’s in Plettenberg Bay.
"The teen was treated in hospital overnight for bite marks and bite lacerations to his right calf.
The teenager from Port Elizabeth was on his surfboard surfing with two other surfers. He felt a bump and then a bite on his right calf. He caught a wave to the beach where he was met by his father, who had witnessed the incident, and bystanders.
“It’s well known that sharks aggregate near the shore line this time of year, as that is where their prey is," says Lambinon.
In a statement, the NSRI requested public caution for bathers, paddlers, and surfers along the Southern Cape coastline where an increased number of sightings of sharks had been witnessed close inshore.
“Shark researchers will investigate to determine the species and size of the shark, but initial indications lean towards the bite being made by a white shark of about two metres long, although this has not yet been confirmed,” Lambinon said.
“The NSRI are urging public caution along the coastline, particularly along the Southern Cape coastline, between Natures Valley and Mossel Bay, and in particular around the Plettenberg Bay inshore area, due to a high number of white shark sightings”.