A spearfisherman from the Western Cape has vowed to return to the ocean barely 24 hours after being dragged in the water for a distance of about 50m by a White shark.
The National Sea Rescue Institute said that Theodore Prinsloo (47) of Wellington had the close encounter with what he believed was a five-metre White shark at Natures Valley on Wednesday shortly after spearing a mussel cracker.
NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said their Plettenberg Bay duty had responded to eye-witness reports of a spearfisherman "being dragged away by a White shark" and there was no sign of him.
He said when their members arrived on the scene they eventually found the man's flotation buoy about 200 metres off-shore.
Lambinon said at about the same time the NSRI had received a call from Prinsloo to inform them that he was safely ashore and was not injured.
He said he reported that he was able to "disconnect" the line that was attached to his speargun and flotation buoy as the shark swam off with his fish and then make it back to shore.
Lambinon said that the NSRI recovered the device from the water and after collecting it from the base station Prinsloo said that he would be spear-fishing again on Thursday.
(Pics: NSRI)
