CAPE TOWN - One of the three fishermen attacked by an aggressive leopard seal at False Bay beach recently has described the incident as a “near-death experience”.
Veteran spearfishermen Jerome Petersen, 50, from Stellenbosch, along with Josua Joubert, 40, from Bloubergstrand and Cameron Vannithing, 24, from Strand, encountered the aggressive specie, believed to be a leopard seal, while spearfishing on September 26.
Petersen recalls something yanking at his ankle about 400 metres off-shore between Spaniard Rock and Caravan Reef, near Miller’s Point.
The attacks, Petersen said, were relentless and the seal kept biting at them while they desperately tried to get back to shore for safety.
“I remember the attacks were just relentless and most of the time, my mind just blanked.
“I remember, at one point, just giving up. This thing just kept grabbing me at the ankle and started pulling me down. But there was no time for fear, because if I had fear, I would be dead,” he said.
“So I just kept fighting, and the toughest part was the drowning because you’re trying to hold your breath and fight at the same time. At one point, it grabbed my hand and bit my hand, pulling me down again,” said Petersen.
After about half an hour battling the seal under water, he suffered bites, wounds, scrapes, and bruising all over his body.
“I have puncture wounds in my ankles and legs. My right knee has a very deep wound and I am severely bruised across my body and my arms. The bites happened when I struggled while being dragged down,” he said.
Petersen, who is still trying to come to terms with the incident, said he would not return to the area again to swim out from the beach.
“I have been in bad situations at sea many times where I have been in very rough waters. I have never had a situation where I had to deal with this type of thing, this was a near-death experience.
“I will return to the area again if I’m diving off a boat, but I definitely will not swim from the side of the beach,” he said.
The NSRI said the spearfishermen had fought for over half an hour before finally reaching the shore exhausted and bewildered by what had transpired.
“Public members on the shore, seeing the commotion, raised the alarm and NSRI Simon's Town and CMR (Cape Medical Response) responded.
“It remains unknown what caused the aggressive encounter but marine scientists have warned that Leopard seals are known to be dangerous and marine authorities appeal to the public to be cautious around sea animals in general.
“City of Cape Town authorities will monitor the situation in that area following this incident,” the NSRI said.
Cape Times