- A man was bitten by a seal while swimming at Big Bay in Bloubergstrand, prompting health officials to advise caution around marine wildlife.
- The National Sea Rescue Institute emphasized the importance of swimming at lifeguarded beaches due to recent rabies warnings linked to seals.
- In a related incident, another man was bitten by a suspected small shark at Blue Waters Beach in False Bay.
A day of sun and surf took a rather unpleasant turn for one beachgoer, who was bitten by a seal at Big Bay in Bloubergstrand on Saturday 26 October.
The incident was reported by the Big Bay Surf Lifesaving Club and Big Bay Events, of a man sustaining a small seal bite wound while on an open water swim.
The man was advised to clean the wound and go to a hospital for further care and evaluation of the bite.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) told TygerBurger authorities had been notified of the incident.
The unfortunate encounter served as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of marine animals and the need for caution when interacting with them, the NSRI said.
“NSRI, City authorities, lifeguards and the emergency services are appealing to bathers to be cautious in and around coastal water,” said NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon. “Swim at beaches protected by lifeguards.”
TygerBurger has reported of warnings advising the public to stay away from seals as far as possible before, particularly after a Cape Fur Seal off the coast at Big Bay has tested positive for rabies.
The provincial health department confirmed a case of rabies had been confirmed in May in a pet dog residing in the Capri area of the Southern Peninsula in Cape Town. The dog exhibited symptoms such as fever and increased aggression. Both the infected dog and a younger dog from the same household, which was injured, were humanely euthanised.
Man bitten in False Bay
In a separate incident on the same day a man was bitten by a marine animal (believed to be a small shark) at Blue Waters in False Bay.
Lambinon said at 13:00 on Saturday the man was bitten while wading in the surf in chest deep water at Blue Waters Beach.
The City ASLC (Alpha Surf Lifesaving Club) lifeguards medically attended the 65-year-old, who had been bitten on the hand and leg by an undetermined small marine animal.
He and bystanders suspected that the animal may have been a small shark. The bite wounds were being investigated by authorities to determine the species.
“Paramedics, Law Enforcement and Fire and Rescue Services joined the City Alpha Surf Lifeguards on the scene,” Lambinon said, while the police and NSRI Strandfontein were placed on alert. Lifeguards quickly notified responding services the man was out of the water and in good spirits, in their care on the beach where they had bandaged his wounds. He was walking wounded.
The man was transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition for further care.
