Angus Warren holds his broken surfski after surviving a shark attack.
Cape Town - The Buffalo City Municipality has issued a warning to beachgoers after a surfski paddler survived a shark attack at Nahoon Beach last week.
Angus Warren, who was paddling with friends about one kilometre from the Nahoon Mouth, survived the attack by what is believed to be a great white shark.
His surfski was broken by the impact.
Warren recalled how he first felt an upheaval under him and something crunching through the hull of his surfski.
“I just felt an upheaval under the boat; I didn’t know what had happened. Then came the crunch. It was biting at the pieces of the ski. It seemed to go on and on. I was thinking, why is it not working out that the fibreglass isn’t food?
“I also remember that it was so close that if it had lunged towards me, it would have been right on me,“ he said.
When the shark finally let go, the boat was in two pieces, he said.
“It was terrifying. It’s only when something like this happens that you realise how important it is to have other people around you. I am absolutely fine but will be cautious in future to always paddle with friends. I have been back to sea three times since the incident, which occurred a week ago today (Tuesday). I think it is important for me to do so as to put the fear behind me,” he said.
Buffalo City Municipality Aquarium manager Siani Tinely said they have cautioned beachgoers of predator activity in the ocean at this time of the year.
“This time of year we normally have the sardine run that goes past our coastline and with this comes an increase in sea bird activity as well as sea mammals, whales, dolphins, seals and sharks and all marine predators. They all follow the sardine run to a certain point. If there is a bird dive into the ocean then that means there is a lot of bait and predator activity,” Tinely said.
Cape Times
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