Several divers, mostly tourists, were injured after a seal bit them in the waters off Oudekraal Beach just after 10am on Saturday.
According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a group of eight people arrived near the beach on a dive charter boat and entered the water to prepare to scuba dive when the seal started to swim among them and began biting a number of them.
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NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said that the boat crew, consisting of four, were able to recover all eight divers onto the boat before alerting emergency services.
‘The City of Cape Town water rescue network was alerted by ER24 ambulance services of a local dive charter boat headed towards Oceana Power Boat Club (OPBC) from Oudekraal, with injured divers onboard, and requesting medical care,’ said Lambinon.
‘On the casualty boat’s arrival at OPBC, two patients were treated by paramedics for bite puncture wounds – a Portuguese lady and a South African lady.’
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Lambinon added that the Portuguese woman was transported to hospital in a stable condition, while assessment of the local woman determined that she did not require hospitalisation.
The local woman was advised to attend an emergency room or a doctor for preventative treatment.
‘A Brazilian man, a French lady, a French man and a South African man, who had sustained minor scrape bite wounds were assessed by paramedics and, not requiring hospitalisation, were advised to [go to] an emergency room or a doctor for broad-spectrum antibiotics, rabies and tetanus treatment as a precaution,’ said Lambinon.
The other two members, a German man and a South African woman were able to escape without being bitten.
Lambinon said that local authorities and the SPCA were both alerted to the incident.
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‘The NSRI, in cooperation with the City of Cape Town, are appealing to bathers and divers in the Oudekraal area and along the Atlantic Seaboard to be aware of this incident and to be cautious,’ added Lambinon. ‘The causes of seal’s behaviour is unknown.’
This is not the first time tourists and locals have fallen victim to aggressive seal attacks. Last year, an adult seal eventually attacked and bit a visitor who walked into the seal on Strand Beach after not seeing the animal.
The attack followed weeks of repeated harassment by members of the public. The seal later died from excessive stress.
In January last year, a seal was recorded chasing and trying to bite a young child on Clifton Fourth Beach. While the child was able to get away thanks to adult intervention, American actress Loulou Taylor was also attacked and bitten six times.
Taylor had to receive stitches at the emergency room.
According to witnesses, the seal was being provoked prior to the attack.
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Picture: Joshua Kettle /Unsplash