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Shark attacks are very few and far between.

There is something about them that captures the imagination (even the staged ones), though, and Kommetjie surfer Jason Lemmer is South Africa’s latest victim.

The 40-year-old paddled out at Jeffreys Bay early last Wednesday, as first light broke, and says he was bitten less than a minute after entering the water.

Lemmer spoke with CapeTalk’s Pippa Hudson about the “surreal” experience:

Moments after trying to catch his first wave, the shark grabbed him.

“I felt this incredible crash and I was in the water”, he recalls. Lemmer says he felt bite marks on his surfboard and realised what had just happened.

He says the shark followed closely behind while two of his surfer friends helped him to get shore and out of the water.

Lemmer’s wife, as well as other surfers, watched the “gory scene” from the beach.

Fortunately for Lemmer, there was an NSRI Bakoven crewman nearby, who had access to a shark bite kit. He rushed to the beach and treated Lemmer, until paramedics arrived on the scene.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon says each shark bite kit contains a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, rescue scissors, bandages, cable ties, and other tools which help stop bleeding.

Pro tip – the NSRI emergency number is 112, which you should call if you ever see a shark attack or emergency while at the beach.

The surfer has nine deep gashes from his ribs down to his buttock, and sustained puncture wounds to his right leg and his torso.

“I lost a lot of blood… I got really lucky, just flesh wounds. I didn’t lose anything. Just some really bad cuts…

I had no idea I had been bitten. I actually thought that it just knocked me off the board. When I was getting back onto my board, I felt the bite marks underneath my board and I realised that there were teeth involved and I’m likely to have been bitten on my back.

It was quite a surreal experience because the shark followed us the whole way to shore. It didn’t do anything except follow us but right behind my one friend.”

I can only imagine the immense sense of relief that must have come with making it out of the water.

Lemmer is now back at home and recovering, having been treated at a Gqeberha hospital.

You can listen to that full interview below:

[source:capetalk]