Port Elizabeth - A Port Elizabeth angler died after he apparently suffered a "medical" problem and fell into a gully while fishing off the rocks near Noordhoek with a friend, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Sunday.
NSRI Port Elizabeth were activated shortly before 11am on Saturday following reports of a fisherman in difficulty in among rocks in the surf at Lookout, near to Noordhoek, NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander Ian Gray said.
Police control had received the call and alerted the Eastern Cape emergency medical services (EMS), NSRI Port Elizabeth, and the Nelson Mandela Bay Water Rescue Network, he said.
Two men were fishing from rocks when one of them, aged 55, "fell into a gully and it is suspected the fall may have been a cause of medical reasons".
"NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander and crew, who were nearby to the scene at the time, responded and on arrival on the scene we recovered the man from a rock pool and initiated CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and were joined by paramedics and advanced life support resuscitation efforts were applied. But sadly, after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, he has been declared deceased. Condolences are conveyed to family," Gray said.
Police had opened an inquest docket, he said.