JEFFREYS BAY - A Jeffreys Bay man in his late 80s died, apparently of natural causes, while surfing in the sea at the town on Sunday afternoon, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty crew were activated at midday following reports of a surfer appearing to be in difficulty off-shore of Jefferys Bay, NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander Rieghard Jansen van Rensburg said.
The NSRI rescue vehicle, NSRI medical crew with an NSRI trainee crew member who is a doctor, Private Care ambulance services, Kouga Fire and Rescue Services, and the South African Police Service responded," he said.
"On arrival on the scene we found family members and bystanders and other surfers had recovered the 87-year-old local man from the water who had been surfing. We believe he was surfing with his family members when he appeared to collapse unconscious in the water."
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts were initiated, but after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted he was declared dead, believed to be from natural causes.
"NSRI Jeffreys Bay crew are friends of the family and support and comfort has been extended to family," Jansen van Rensburg said.