‘Former South Coast doctor towed by a shark for 50m
Suddenly the shark appeared, grabbed the fish and made off out to sea, dragging the buoy - and the doctor - right along with it.
A former South Coaster was recently involved in what could almost have been a scene straight from that cult classic movie, ‘Jaws’.
However, all’s well that ends well, and although (thankfully) that was the case, things could have turned out quite differently for avid spearfisherman Dr Theo Prinsloo.
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Known by family and friends as ‘Tiekie’, Theo moved to Wellington in the Cape with his family about a year ago, after having practised in Shelly Beach for many years.
His encounter with a great white took place in Plettenberg Bay, one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country.
Marc Rodgers, station commander at NSRI Plettenberg Bay, said the crew was called into action at 10.13am on December 18, following eyewitness accounts of a ‘spearfisherman engaged in a shark encounter’ at Natures Valley beach.
“The eyewitness was certain that the shark had taken the fisherman as only his fishing flotation buoy remained on the surface of the water, about 200m out to sea, offshore of the rocks at Salt River. However, there was no sign of the fisherman.”
The witness then noticed a figure in a wetsuit on the shore, but could not be sure that it was the ‘missing’ fisherman.
The flotation buoy was subsequently recovered, with the head of a mussel cracker still attached to it.
Theo saw the NSRI craft arrive and contacted the base, confirming that he was the spearfisherman concerned, and that he was safe and sound after his encounter with the shark.
He explained that when he had gone down to the beach the previous day, some local fishermen had warned him that there was a 5m white shark that liked to linger in the area.
Undeterred, he entered the water, later returning to shore unscathed.
The following day he wasn’t quite as fortunate.
Sensing the shark might still be in the vicinity, he elected to stay close to the rocks.
After about 20 minutes in the water, he speared an 8kg mussel cracker.
He hooked it to the flotation buoy, also attaching his speargun.
Suddenly the shark appeared, grabbed the fish and made off out to sea, dragging the buoy – and the doctor – right along with it.
Fortunately after a hair-raising ‘tow’ of some 50m towards deeper waters, he was able to release the flotation buoy and swim quickly back to shore.
The buoy, line and fish head were recovered by the NSRI.
And the good doctor’s take on his adventure? He was grateful that his equipment had been found as, he said, he needed it to get back in the water the very next day!
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