Austrian diver fatality- Natal South Africa

[DandyDon]

Man killed by shark | IOL

NSRI Shelley Beach, NSRI Port Edward and Police Search and Rescue were activated following reports of a scuba diver missing during a dive at the Northern Pinnacle, Protea Banks on the South Coast.
The body of a man, believed to have been bitten by a shark, was later recovered.
According to fellow divers among a group on a charter scuba dive, they had been surfacing from a dive when they realised one of their group had disappeared.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the NSRI Shelly Beach sea rescue craft Caltex Challenger and Spirit of Dawn, the NSRI Port Edward sea rescue craft Wild Coast Sun Rescuer and a Police Search and Rescue boat launched to join a search operation already underway by multiple private boats.
“On arrival on the scene a co-ordinated search, assisted also by the Transnet National Ports Authority, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, NSRI Durban and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, continued.”
He said the SAPS, Medevac ambulance services and Hibiscus Fire and Rescue Services also responded to standby at the NSRI Shelly Beach base.
A Natal Sharks Board fixed wing aircraft was placed on alert and an SA Air Force 15 Squadron Augusta helicopter activated.
Lambinon said an extensive drift pattern and sweeping line search operation was conducted utilising the three sea rescue craft, the Police Search and Rescue boat, private boats, private fishing boats, and charter boats and Police divers conducted a scuba dive search.
During the search the remains of the body of the man, believed to have been bitten by a shark, were located by crew of a private fishing boat. The remains were recovered and brought to shore.
“The remains of the body of the man, a 68-year-old German citizen, have been taken into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services and police have opened an inquest docket,” said Lambinon.

 

[tridacna]

I ised to dive Protea Banks but no more. There are just too many Raggies and Zambezis in that area. I'd love to know how many diving fatalaties they've had up there. Cape Town with Great Whites seems like paradise compared to Natal.

 

[jfe]

I ised to dive Protea Banks but no more. There are just too many Raggies and Zambezis in that area. I'd love to know how many diving fatalaties they've had up there. Cape Town with Great Whites seems like paradise compared to Natal.

Seriously? I dive Raggie cave, do Protea Banks and the baited shark dives etc. and never felt threatened by the sharks.
IMO, if the diver goes missing and after a long search is recovered and have bite marks on him, it does not mean a shark killed him. It's like saying a coyote killed the man if he's found in the desert with bite marks and he died of thirst.
I do believe this is not good for the industry in South Africa and is very unfortunate, condolences to his family, tragic event on a vacation.

 

[tilikum]

It doesn't say how long after he was reported missing that his body was found. Given his age could he have died from natural causes and his body been bitten out of curiousity on the part of the shark?

 

[clownfishsydney]

Raggies are grey nurse sharks/sand tiger sharks, totally harmless. Zambezis are bull sharks. These are dangerous and in Australia have probably killed almost as many people as great whites.

 

[jfe]

Raggies are grey nurse sharks/sand tiger sharks, totally harmless. Zambezis are bull sharks. These are dangerous and in Australia have probably killed almost as many people as great whites.

Similar for our region, Bulls are mostly responsible for attacks in South African waters. Problem that I foresee with GW's is thefeeding / cage diving tourist industry. I'm weary of the fact that even in sharks habits form and as I understand they can, and most properly will, start associating humans with food, thus we'll see an increase in sightings and interaction that in my non-expert opinion may lead to a lot more news articles than necessary putting blame on sharks rather than the leading cause of human / animal interactions. In the area I live in, Mossel Bay, a hot spot for GW due to a seal island, there are already 2 females identified that does not migrate anymore but stay there. Why? That is an open question.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

It is entirely too early to tell what actually happened here but regardless my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

What caught my attention was this quote

According to fellow divers among a group on a charter scuba dive, they had been surfacing from a dive when they realised one of their group had disappeared.

So they were all ending the dive and they didn't notice they lost a diver? The more of these I read the more I see a pattern of divers going missing without anyone noticing until it is well too late.

As a new diver that leads me to believe that the buddy system that is discussed at length is not really followed by the average diver. Anyone else have any insight or opinions one this specific subject ?

 

[archer1960]

It is entirely too early to tell what actually happened here but regardless my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

What caught my attention was this quote



So they were all ending the dive and they didn't notice they lost a diver? The more of these I read the more I see a pattern of divers going missing without anyone noticing until it is well too late.

As a new diver that leads me to believe that the buddy system that is discussed at length is not really followed by the average diver. Anyone else have any insight or opinions one this specific subject ?

In my limited experience, that's true when there is a group dive going on. People tend to watch the group as a whole, rather than a specific buddy, so if the group is larger than 4 or 5, it's easy not to notice right away that some one is missing.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

In my limited experience, that's true when there is a group dive going on. People tend to watch the group as a whole, rather than a specific buddy, so if the group is larger than 4 or 5, it's easy not to notice right away that some one is missing.

I guess I do not understand this logic. I come from a military background as a Navy veteran and I don't care if I had 25 people in my group, you just don't lose one. No one gets left behind and you actively work and communicate to achieve that goal.

I do understand that a vacation diver who has never served may not have the same mentality but I feel diving is very much like the military. You have a buddy i.e. "swim buddy, battle buddy, etc" gear to keep in good working condition that is meant to keep you alive and plenty of rules and regulations.

If you are in a group with a DM (the article does not mention if they had a DM or guide with them) then it would be up to that person to make sure no one was left behind. To me it is simple attention to detail but then again..."HEY LOOK...A TURTLE" and off someone goes without telling another diver.

So I know how it happens but it seems to be quite easy to keep it from happening.

 

[FinnMom]

If we want to start a new converstaion as in => As a new diver that leads me to believe that the buddy system that is discussed at length is not really followed by the average diver. Anyone else have any insight or opinions one this specific subject ?

You should start a new thread. It's not just polite, it also makes the new discussion a whole lot easier to find. Thanks!