Shark Kills Saffa Surfer
On Saturday, Gerhard van Zyl went surfing with a friend at Outeniqua, a beach close to the Southern Cape towns of Mossel Bay and George.
Just after 3 o’clock, Gerhard became the first shark attack victim in that area in more than 20 years. After the attack – in which his right leg was completely bitten off above the knee – his buddy helped him to shore where a Netcare 911 paramedic tried to save his life. Despite the on the scene help and being airlifted to a hospital in nearby George, 25-year old Gerhard unfortunately succumbed to his injuries, becoming the first shark attack fatality in South Africa this year.
Horrifically enough, this is the second time the devastated Van Zyl family has lost a son in a beach-related incident. Only three years ago, Gerhard’s youngest brother Christo died when he fell from a cliff into the ocean on the St Blaize hiking trail outside Mossel Bay. He was 17 years old.
Although no one is sure exactly what shark species attacked and killed Gerhard, experts agree that it can probably be attributed to a Great White since they are known to frequent that area this time of year.
Ever since the movie Jaws scared the wits out of movie-goers worldwide, sharks have had the reputation of being blood-thirsty man-eaters. That isn’t actually true. According to Stephan Swanson of Oceans Research in Mossel Bay, sharks are opportunistic hunters “who investigate anything that might be edible. To determine whether an object is edible, they first smell and ‘taste’ it.”
He told News24 that shark researchers have tagged approximately 400 great white sharks in that area over the past three years, in order to determine their behavioural patterns. About 98% of these sharks are between 2m and 3m in length. The smaller sharks in particular are nomadic and migrate to Gansbaai and False Bay, returning to Mossel Bay in August and September.
Gerhard is survived by his parents and a brother, 23-year old Johan.
