A Durban paddle ski fisherman got the ride of his life when he hooked a 20kg yellowfin tuna off Ballito on Tuesday.
Nick van der Westhuysen hooked into the fish at Salmon Bay and very quickly found himself being dragged far out to sea.
A lifeguard spotted the fast-disappearing paddle skier and alerted his supervisor.
“I had a search team dispatch the boat and drew up a pattern to be patrolled along the waves,” explained KwaDukuza lifeguard supervisor, Bongani Xulu.
Paramedics raced to the beach and got onto the water to help look for the fisherman.
After much excitement, the fisherman managed to paddle back to shore and luckily did not need any medical attention.
“I would have made it back on my own, but I was tired,” said van der Westhuysen.
He described how his GPS had read seven kilometres per hour while the large tuna was dragging him.
Balancing on a thin paddle ski in the waves, this was an alarming speed for the fisherman.
“It was probably the most difficult fishing experience I have had. My arms felt like jelly, but I had to keep going,” explained the huffing and puffing man, while holding up the enormous fish.
Even though van der Westhuysen said the rescue mission had not been necessary, he was grateful for the assistance from the paramedics and lifeguards.
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