As she took an early morning swim to celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend, a terrified woman was killed in a horrifying assault by a Great White Shark.
When the lethal predator quickly surfaced from deep water and quickly seized the 39-year-old victim in its jaws close to other swimmers, she was in shallow water.
The woman who was standing on the edge of the group screamed as the shark struck her, bit into her flash, and submerged.
Just before 8am, the National Sea Rescue Institute was contacted as panicked surfers and swimmers emerged from the ocean at Central Beach in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.
An NSRI inshore rescue vessel was launched, raced to the location, and promptly located the woman’s bloodied, savagely mutilated body about 50 feet offshore.
The Bitou Municipality, which is in charge of the beach, has closed the Bay, placed volunteers, and put up posters warning visitors to stay out of the water.
The woman, who was reportedly on vacation, was the third person to be fatally bitten by a great white shark in Plettenberg Bay during the course of the previous 11 years.
Rescuers were informed by a witness that although it was partly gloomy, there was some sunshine, and many people were taking an early plunge because it was so warm.
“I simply heard a lot of shouting after that, and I saw people rushing away from the water.” I thought there had been a shark attack, but I was quite a distance away when the lifeboat arrived.
She continued, “I then heard that a woman had been attacked while swimming only two or three waves out, so it was pretty shallow, yet it was reported that nothing could be done to help her.”
Bruce Wolov, a stockbroker and married father who excelled at long distance swimming and snorkeling, was recently torn apart just off-shore.
And in 2011, while waiting to catch a wave, local carpenter and avid surfer Tim Van Heerden was on his board when a Great White Shark approached.
He was severely bit during the attack, which caused him to fall into the water. As he reached for his board, the Great White tore into him once more, this time with a fatal bite.
He had sustained two significant bite wounds to his groin and upper leg, which severed the femoral artery, despite a heroic friend grabbing him and bringing him onto rocks.
Before 2011, there had never been a fatality at Plettenberg, but now there have been three, with two occurring in the past three months, according to Bitou Municipality Mayor David Swart.
We are investigating the possibility of installing a shark barrier, enhancing the warning signage, and beginning our lifeguard season one month earlier than usual.
We have had three deadly attacks in such a short period of time, yet there doesn’t seem to have been any change in the shark’s behavior in this area.
At this moment, our prayers are with the woman and her family, he said.
Heritage Day in South Africa was observed as a bank holiday yesterday. Traditionally, this is a time for a long weekend getaway to celebrate with loved ones.
The terrible deceased, who is from Cape Town, is said to have been vacationing in the well-known beach destination on the Garden Route, 300 miles away from Cape Town.
Her severely bit body has been given to forensic pathologists and the police, who will conduct an inquest while informing her nearest of kin.
Great White Sharks can reach 20 feet in length, 2 tons in weight, and up to 300 rows of razor-sharp serrated teeth in their enormous jaws.
The predator generally preys on seals, sea lions, dolphins, and turtles, but when it attacks it can swim at up to 35 mph while being guided by an incredibly potent sense of smell.
Experts claim that attacks on humans are not purposeful but rather “experimental” when they bite since they are frequently mistaken for seals, especially when wearing wet suits.
The harm caused by just one potent bite is frequently fatal, yet they typically move away after biting once when they realize the human is not their natural food.
Off the coast of South Africa, shark attacks have claimed the lives of 37 individuals in the past 25 years, and 66 people have been harmed by their jaws since 1950.
The yearly sardine run, an essential long-term food source, causes an increase in shark activity along the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in the winter.
Remember that sharks have always ruled the ocean, according to a South African shark specialist who wished to remain unnamed.
Because of swimming, paddle boarding, and surfing, there are an increasing number of people in the water today, and sharks are always nearby.
They rarely attack because they mistake people for prey, but when they do, the outcomes are frequently devastating. They are not looking for people.
You have a 47-times greater chance of dying from lightning or an 11-times greater chance of dying from pyrotechnics than a shark attack. He said, “Wrong place, wrong time.”