Dylan Reddering from Plettenberg Bay was rescued from the water after fighting off a shark that bit him on the hip. Picture: NSRI
A college student lost his leg in a recent shark attack in South Africa, approximately a two hour drive west from the WSL’s upcoming J-Bay Open. Caleb Swanepoel, a student at the University of Cape Town, was surfing on June 28th when he was attacked at Buffalo Bay in the Western Cape. He was pulled out of the water by other bodyboarders and surfers before a local doctor, who happened to be close by on the beach, provided emergency treatment. The owner of a local surf school who was also on the beach during the attack said the shark circled Swanepoel and other surfers twice before biting Swanepoel above his right knee.
The attack at Buffalo Bay came immediately after another attack in nearby Plettenberg Bay. Dylan Reddering, also a college student at UCT, was in the hospital during the second attack. He suffered a deep gash on his right hip and buttocks at about 5 pm the evening before while surfing at Lookout Beach. Reddering’s story took a unique twist after fighting the shark off and swimming back to shore. One of the NSRI volunteer responders heard an emergency siren and rushed out to the beach to help. The volunteer, Marty Reddering, got to the beach to help with the rescue only to find that the victim was his own son.
The National Sea Rescue Insistute (NSRI) are now urging people to be cautious about getting in the water, while preferring surfers and bathers stay out of the ocean altogether until local authorities advise otherwise. Shark Expert Dr. Allison Koch said, “What’s likely the case is that there is an increase of sharks in that area possibly due to an increase in prey. So it is an unusual situation and therefore people need to be extra vigilant at this time.”
