A spearfisherman has been bitten by a suspected great white shark in South Africa.
The 43-year-old man was spearfishing off the coast of Ryspunt when the incident occurred.
The Betty’s Bay man was bitten on the left leg and thigh and had lacerations on his right hand.
His diving buddies used the elastic bands from their spearguns as makeshift tourniquets to stem the bleeding as they boated back to Ariston harbor.
The South African police, Overberg Fire and Rescue Services, WC Government Health EMS, and National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Agulus responded to the scene and administered first aid at 12:05 p.m. He was then transported by ambulance to Bredasdorp hospital where he was stabilized before being airlifted to a hospital in Cape Town in serious condition.
The NSRI believe he was bitten by a great white shark on the left thigh and leg and suffered injuries to his right hand while fighting off the shark.
There have been a total of forty-three shark attack bites in 2016. Five of which were fatal. Seventeen reported in the US, with eleven occurring in Florida. Ten have occurred in Australia, three of which were fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2016 shark attack bites tracking map.
