Shark attack: Diver attacked at a beach in KwaZulu-Natal

Emergency services responded to calls of a shark attack on Shelly Beach in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, 30 December 2022.

Shark attack leads to serious injuries

At around 9:30 emergency Medical Services of the Mi7 National Group received information about a possible shark attack in the Shelly Beach area.

Mi7 medics were stationed at the Shelly Beach Ski Boat Club when the attack was announced by the tower controller.

A 26-year-old man is believed to have been bitten by a Blacktip Reef Shark while on a chartered dive just off the coast.

When the patient was brought back to shore, Mi7 medics discovered he had serious bite marks on his arm.

He was quickly stabilized and taken to a nearby hospital.

Statistics of attacks

According to shark spotters, shark bites are extremely rare around the world, but they do occur and the number of bites is increasing.  

The year 2015 saw the most unprovoked shark attacks ever recorded, with 98, breaking the previous record of 88 in 2000.

More people in the water for longer periods are most likely to blame for the rise in shark attacks.

It is reasonable to expect an increase in human-shark interactions as the world population grows.

There have been a total of 248 unprovoked attacks in South Africa since records began in 1905.

The majority of these (103) have occurred in the Eastern Cape, with 90 occurring in KZN and 55 occurring in the Western Cape.

In South Africa, three species are responsible for the majority of attacks: tiger, bull (or Zambezi), and white sharks.

Narrowing it down to the Cape Peninsula, the first fatalities were recorded in 1900 and 1901 at Seaforth and Simonstown.

However, only 28 attacks have occurred on the Cape Peninsula since 1960.

That equates to about one attack every two years.

The majority of the 28 attacks on the peninsula have targeted spearfishers and surfers. Seven of the last 28 attacks have been fatal.

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