Fisherman bitten by a shark

At 19h15, Wednesday, 25 January, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a fishing vessel reporting a crew member (a fisherman) onboard the vessel injured after being bitten by a shark that had been caught in nets in normal fishing operations while they conducting fishing activities onboard the vessel off-shore of Gqeberha.

Jonathan Tufts, NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander, said:

The fishing vessel alerted Telkom Maritime Radio Services and MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and the Transnet National Ports Authority were alerted.

The local fishing vessel was headed towards the Port of Gqeberha from deep sea fishing grounds South of Cape Recife.

NSRI Gqeberha launched the rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha and rendezvoused with the vessel 7 nautical miles off-shore.

EC Government Health EMS were activated to stand by at the NSRI Gqeberha rescue station.

NSRI medics took the 36 year old fisherman into their care. He had sustained shark bite wounds that had been effectively treated by fellow crew first aiders. The patient was in a stable condition, in good spirits and fully mobile.

He was transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft and brought to our NSRI Gqeberha rescue station where EC Government Health EMS paramedics assessed the injuries.

EMS paramedics continued to provide medical care and transporting the patient to the hospital in an EMS ambulance in a stable condition.