News24 | KZN fisherman missing following shark sightings near school of sardines where he was fishing

NSRI rescuers assist sailors in distress off the coast on 20 September 2023.

• A man has gone missing after a shark allegedly appeared where he was fishing.
• Two more sharks appeared after a fellow fisherman tried to help the man.
• It is believed that the sharks were feeding on the school of sardines at the time.

A 37-year-old fisherman has gone missing, disappearing underwater after a shark appeared to surface where the man was fishing at Mfazazana, near Hibberdene on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, on Friday.

According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), search efforts for the man are still under way.

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Three local fishermen were in the water, near a school of sardines, when one man disappeared underwater just as a shark surfaced in the area.

“It appears that one friend attempted to intervene, but it is believed that he was confronted by at least two sharks, and retreated to the shoreline,” NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

It is believed that the sharks were feeding on the school of sardines at the time.

SA Police Services, Police K9 Search and Rescue, and WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services) were called to the scene on Friday when the man disappeared in the water. However, there were no signs of the man.

On Saturday, the NSRI Shelly Beach station joined in search operations.

“Thoughts, care and compassion are with the family and friends of the missing man,” Lambinon added.