MyPE

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Shark bites PE angler

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Juan Pretorius, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said, “At 09h06 on Saturday, 12 April, NSRI Port Alfred volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following reports of an angler bitten by a shark that he had caught on his fishing line, on the beach, 1 nautical mile East of the Rufanes River, while taking part in the Port Elizabeth Shore Angling League, a rock and surf angling league.

“Our NSRI Port Alfred volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded by road in our Sea Rescue vehicle and along an 8 kilometre stretch of beach to reach the scene.

“On arrival on-scene we found 42 year old Lionel McDougall, from Port Elizabeth, in a stable condition and in the care of his fellow anglers who had done an excellent job bandaging and applying a tourniquet to shark bite wounds to his left knee, left ankle and shin and left hand.

“Our NSRI medics assisted to re-dress some of the wounds and then Mr McDougall was loaded into our Sea Rescue vehicle and although we had arranged for an ambulance to meet us at the roadway the decision was taken, based on the good and stable condition of Mr. McDougall, to simply transport the patient to hospital in our Sea Rescue vehicle.

“Mr McDougall remains in hospital in good spirits receiving treatment, X-Ray’s, suturing and repairing of his wounds by hospital staff. A shark tooth found embedded in his left knee will be surgically removed.

“Mr. McDougall explained to NSRI that while angling he had foul hooked (hooked on a side fin) an over 2 meter in length male Ragged Tooth shark, and while attempting to recover the shark, by grabbing the shark by the tail, to be pulled onto the beach to be measured and then released, he believes he was in perhaps too deep water and the shark had turned around and bit his left leg. While attempting to pry the sharks jaw open to prevent the shark from doing further damage to his leg he had sustained lacerations, puncture wound bites to his left hand and puncture wounds to two fingers.

“The shark was measured and safely released back to the ocean and the alarm was raised while fellow anglers tended to his wounds.”

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.