Surf skier survives close shave with huge shark

Predator — believed to be a great white — leaves 36cm-wide bite mark on lawyer’s craft at East London’s Nahoon Reef

An East London surf skier had a close encounter with a large shark while paddling at Nahoon Reef at midday yesterday.

Lawyer Angus Warren, 59, whose surf ski was nearly bitten in half, was brought back to shore unharmed by a friend.

The bite mark left on his craft — inflicted by what is believed to have been a great white shark — is about 36cm wide.

“It was about 12.30pm, I was paddling out with two friends. As we got outside the reef, I felt something bump my boat,” Warren said.

“I felt as if I was going to fall out and a moment later I saw a shark trying to bite through my surf ski’s front cockpit.

“I froze for a few seconds and watched it keep biting and eventually it let go, leaving me in a state of shock.”

He said one of his friends came alongside him and he left his damaged craft and rode back to shore on his mate’s surf ski.

“We had not seen any wildlife until then. I did see a fin nearby but I wasn’t sure if it was a shark or a dolphin,” Warren said.

“In my experience, we often see sharks while out in the ocean but we just carry on paddling.

“It did not make me nervous, it was only when it attacked the surf ski that I got the shock of my life.”

He said if the shark had bitten through the craft, his legs would have been injured.

He believed the shark was about 2m in length, judging from the length of its head as it was biting his surf ski.

Warren’s friend, Andy Morris, who was paddling alongside him said: “I was right next to him when his surf ski was bitten.

“He was sitting on his surf ski and I then paddled close to him and he moved over to mine.

“I wasn’t that fussed because this happened to me in 2007 at Eastern Beach.”

Morris said Warren was shaken by the attack.

East London aquarium manager Siani Tinley said: “At this time of the year, normally May, June, July, we have the sardine run, which goes past our coastline.

“It comes with seabird activity, mammals such as dolphins and seals and it comes with predators such as sharks.”

She said the predators followed the sardine run and she advised beachgoers that when they spotted birds diving into the ocean sardines were probably passing and there would be predator activity.

“The beachfront in the last two days has had a lot of seabird and dolphin activity that goes with sharks being present.”

Tinley said predators could mistakenly identify a surfboard or surf ski as prey.

“We can’t stop people from enjoying their water activities but the risk at this time of the year is higher.”

East London Museum principal scientist Kevin Cole said: “Warren was attacked by what is most likely a great white shark at about 12.40 after setting off 27 minutes earlier from the Nahoon River mouth.”

He said the water temperature had been about 18°C and the attack occurred at a depth of 8m.

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said officials were aware of the shark attack and had closed the beach to the public.

It is expected to reopen today.

“We are picking up that there is a lot of activity along the coast, including many birds, dolphins and whales and also predators, which is a sign that we have a big sardine run on our coast.

“We want to warn those that use the beach for swimming to be on the lookout,” Ngwenya said.

“We urge people to be cautious and respect nature,”