Fatal Shark Attack in J-Bay

Another shark attack in South Africa, this time at the popular surfing spot, Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay…

Words by Craig Jarvis

As in all shark attacks, the setting is blurry with shock and horror mixed into the story telling, but it goes like this: Friday, late morning on a small day in Jeffreys Bay. A 74-year-old local named Burgert Van De Westhuizen was swimming along the shoreline when he was attacked by a three-to-four meter Great White shark, and dragged out to deeper water.

Once the alarm was raised and people within the vicinity became aware of the situation, witnesses watched as local surfer Terry Oliver, who was out on a sea kayak, paddled over to retrieve the body, but the shark wouldn’t let go. It was intent on hanging onto the victim and attacking repeatedly, as opposed to releasing immediately after impact. Even with Mr Olivier trying to fight the shark off by hitting it with his oars, it remained intent on the victim.

Local surfer and businessman Koffie Jacobs was one of the eye-witnesses who watched the end of the attack, and stated that while it was going on there were still a few groms in the water on the inside, oblivious to what was going on behind them. “It was a heavy scene,” said Jacobs. “When we first got the call we didn’t know what to expect, but this situation was bizarre. The attack was still happening 15 minutes later, and no one else seemed to know about it.”

Mr Jacobs and friends warned the beach-goers and surfers about the situation and got everyone out the water before posting a warning message and a photo on social media.

In 1991, South Africa was the first country in the world to put the White Shark on the protected list. The last fatal attack in South Africa was on bodyboarder David Lilienfeld, who was killed by a giant white shark at Kogel Baai, Cape Town on April 19, 2012, at the same time as US-based documentary maker Chris Fischer was chumming the waters of False Bay and doing permitted White Shark research.

One of Stab’s favourite photographers and all round legend Alan Van Gysen was particularly rattled by this attack, and for good enough reason. Just two weeks prior, he’d spent a week swimming at Point to get the best shots of the junior surfers competing in swell of the year at J-Bay. “It’s one of those things that I have managed pretty much to block out of my mind,” said Alan of the dangers of swimming in a place like Jeffreys Bay. “But this is particularly close to home seen as I had just spent so much time in the water there.”

“I feel so sorry for this guy and obviously for his family,” Alan continued. “I’ve got two little girls, 2 and 5, and this obviously makes you think really hard about your life and your family.”

Early reports suggested that it was a pair of sharks involved in the attack, but it turned out to be a single shark with such a distance between the dorsal and tail fin that it appeared to be two sharks.

What do the Supertubes locals think? We asked a local surfer who wanted to remain anonymous: “Ya save sharks, save sharks, they’re awesome, amazing and don’t eat humans… Stupid idiots! Kill them all, even the babies… RIP swimmer from JBay!”

We all know what J-Bay’s capable of. Alan Van Gysen shot this two weeks ago: “It’s one of those things that I have managed pretty much to block out of my mind. But this is particularly close to home seen as I had just spent so much time in the water there.”