Seal attack leaves diving tourists injured

A seal started to swim amongst a group of eight tourist divers and began biting the divers.

SEAL ATTACK LEAVES DIVING TOURISTS INJURED

According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon, the incident happened around 10:08 on Saturday.

“On the casualty boat’s arrival at Oceana Power Boat Club (OPBC) two patients were treated by paramedics for bite puncture wounds – a Portuguese woman and a South African woman.”

Lambinon said the Portuguese woman was transported to hospital in a stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance.

THE PORTUGUESE WOMAN WAS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL WITH PUNCTURE WOUNDS

“The South African woman was assessed by paramedics and not requiring hospitalisation. She was advised to attend an emergency room or a doctor for broad-spectrum antibiotics, rabies, and tetanus treatment as a precaution.”

Lambinon said.

He furthermore said a Brazilian man, a French woman, a French man and a South African man, who had sustained minor scrape bite wounds, were assessed by paramedics and not requiring hospitalisation.

THE OTHERS SUSTAINED MINOR SCRAPE BITE WOUNDS

“They were advised to attend an emergency room or at a doctor for broad-spectrum antibiotics, rabies, and tetanus treatment, as a precaution.

“A German man and a South African lady who had not been bitten required no further assistance.”

Lambinon said it appears that the dive charter boat, with four crew and eight, had arrived at Oudekraal, where the divers entered the water to prepare to scuba dive.

“On entering the water to prepare to begin scuba diving, according to reports, a seal started to swim amongst the eight divers and began biting them.

“The boat crew were able to recover all eight divers onto their boat, and the alarm was raised.”

Craig Lambinon said.

BOAT CREW WERE ABLE TO RECOVER ALL EIGHT DIVERS

CoCT authorities, DEFF (Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries), and the SPCA have been alerted to this incident.

NSRI, in cooperation with CoCT, is appealing to bathers and divers in the Oudekraal area and along the Atlantic Seaboard to be aware of this incident and to be cautious.

He added that the cause of the seal’s behaviour is unknown.

Last year,  a seal attacked a child and a woman in the water at Clifton beach in Cape Town

The video starts with a seal swimming in the shallow waters with a woman saying: “Aaaah cute a seal.” Seconds later, the seal’s attention is on something /someone outside the camera frame.

It attacks a young child who is swimming. The seal can be seen trying to bite the child in the video.