Cape Town - A Plettenberg Bay rescuer has described how he responded to a call about a shark attack and discovered that the victim was his son.
Marty Reddering, still reeling from shock on Saturday, spoke of how his son, Dylan, 23, a University of Cape Town student and avid surfer, survived an attack by a three-metre great white shark.
Dylan kicked and beat the shark away, only to became stuck in a current while trying to swim back to shore, said Reddering, who has been an NSRI volunteer for 41 years.
His son received a deep gash to his right hip and buttocks, and was being treated at the Life Knysna Private Hospital on Saturday.
He was in pain, but in good spirits.
Reddering said he was at home on Friday afternoon, while his son was out surfing, when he heard an emergency siren indicating there had been an incident at sea.
He rushed out to respond.
“I didn’t know it was my son. When I got to the (NSRI) station I was told there’s a shark attack.
“The boats were already out. A friend called me (and said) it was Dylan.
“My friend said: ‘Dylan is okay, don’t worry.’ You have no idea what those words meant.”
Reddering said Dylan had since told him he was surfing off Look Out Beach when he was attacked.
“Dylan didn’t see anything. It just hit him from below. He said he was beating and kicking it and then he caught the next wave (using his surfboard).
“But then he was stuck in a current.”
Friends pulled Dylan from the water.
Reddering said Dylan had been calm, even joking with those around him.
“He dealt with it extremely well.”
Reddering acknowledged Dylan was lucky to be alive and not to have received worse injuries - the shark had missed arteries and the gash was not down to the bone.
The shark had been about two or three metres in size.
“We’ve often surfed together and seen them,” Reddering said.
“We’ve had sharks beneath us, but obviously nothing like this.”
Reddering said Dylan would continue surfing once he had recovered, as this was his passion.
Last month, Mathieu Dasnois, 29, of Cape Town, survived an attack by a four-metre great white shark off Port St Johns.
His leg and hands were lacerated.
Sunday Independent