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Three people, including two Jiujitsu instructors, were said to be in the fight of their lives when they encountered an aggressive seal while spearfishing in False Bay.
The National Sea Rescue Institute says the 'clash' with what is believed to have been a leopard seal, occurred on Sunday.
Spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, says 50-year-old Jerome Petersen from Stellenbosch, and his 40-year-old friend Josua Joubert, both Brazilian Jiujitsu instructors, and 24-year-old Cameron Vannithing, were in a desperate fight to get away from the seal, that attacked them on the seabed about 400m offshore.
Lambinon says according to Petersen, the seal appeared to target him, and he was bitten and bumped by the animal as the three fought to get to shore.
He said they lost their spearguns, while the seal also snapped and broke off their flippers, as it continued to bump and bite them.
All three attribute their survival to their years of experience being at sea, their high fitness levels and their state of the art equipment.
Lambinon says Peterson's wetsuit arguably saved him from fatal injuries.
He says the men fought off the seal for about half an hour before they finally reached the shore, exhausted and bewildered by what had transpired.
Members of the public who saw the commotion raised the alarm and a medical team responded.
He says it is still unknown what caused the aggressive encounter, but he says marine scientists have warned that Leopard seals are known to be dangerous.
Authorities have appealed to the public to be cautious around sea animals in general while City of Cape Town authorities will monitor that area following the incident.
