Surfer not put off sea by great white attack

The surfer who survived a shark attack at Cape St Francis earlier this week is recovering well and plans on hitting the waves again soon.

A juvenile great white ripped the flesh from Ross Spowart’s left leg, even leaving a tooth in the 19-year-old surfer’s shin.

The attack at Seal Point beach lasted less than 30 seconds from when the shark hit the bottom of Spowart’s surfboard.

Spowart, who has been surfing since the age of six, said he would be hitting the waves again once he was given the go-ahead from his doctors.

“I caught about two waves before getting stuck in the white water for a while,” he said.

“As I hit the clear water after the [wave] breaks I stopped and the shark came up from underneath my board.

“It then turned its head towards me on my left side, put its teeth through the bottom of the board and managed to clip the top of my knee and just shred down my flesh.

“It stopped at the bone and just pulled,” he said.

“I felt zero pain while this was happening, there was so much adrenaline running through my body.

“The shark managed to knock me off my board and when I managed to get back onto [it], I paddled as hard as I could to the beach.

“It felt like the longest five seconds [paddling] of my life.

“It was 100% panic to get away – at that moment it was either live or die as juvenile sharks can be very aggressive and possibly come back.”

Spowart said he signalled for help once he reached the beach while leaving his two friends still in the water.

“Luckily there was a plastic surgeon and a doctor along with a large group of very helpful people on the beach who helped wrap surfboard leashes around my leg to stop the bleeding.

“I couldn’t have asked for better assistance.”

This was his first encounter with a great white shark while surfing.

But as a fisherman, he had seen about six in the area in the past eight years, he said.

Spowart is being treated at Greenacres Hospital in Port Elizabeth.

“I should be going home soon – I am not doing too badly, I am on pretty hectic medication,” he said.

“But if anything, this experience has made me a little more fearful because should I face another shark, how do I know I will get the chance to walk away from it?

“It has been a very humbling experience and I am just glad to have walked away from it all.

“There is no way I am going to stop surfing, I am going to get back in the water as soon as I can.”

His father, former Springbok and pro-surfer Gavin Spowart, 56, said surfing was a culture in their family.

“This was not the first time I encountered a shark attack, but I know this will not deter him or any of us from going back into the water,” Gavin said.

“He has been surfing since he was six years old and I am happy to say he is 100% coping with the attack.

“I am very thankful to the NSRI and the St Francis community who did an excellent job in helping my son.”

Kouga mayor Elza van Lingen said the municipality was aware of the allegations of a boat chumming the water illegally on Tuesday.

“We have been in contact with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [DAFF] regarding the issuing of permits for demersal shark longline fishing along Kouga’s coastline,” Van Lingen said.

“According to our information, there are three vessels that have received permits from DAFF for this.

“We are concerned about the impact this could have on shark activity in the region,” she said.

“As the local authority, we would like to have greater input in the issuing of such permits and their conditions to keep swimmers and surfers safe.”