At around 10h08, Saturday, 2 March, the CoCT water rescue network was alerted by ER24 ambulance services of a local dive charter boat headed towards OPBC (Oceana Power Boat Club) from Oudekraal, on the Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Town, with injured divers onboard and requesting medical care.
Some divers onboard the boat had reportedly been bitten by a seal while they were in the water.
NSRI rescue stations 2 Bakoven and 3 Table Bay were alerted together with the emergency services.
ER24 ambulance services, WC Government Health EMS, Netcare 911 ambulance services, Life Healthcare response paramedics and Taurus Medical, responded to OPBC to stand-by waiting on the dive charter RHIB’s (rigid hull inflatable boat) arrival.
On the casualty boat’s arrival at OPBC 2 patients were treated by paramedics for bite puncture wounds – a Portuguese lady and a South African lady.
The Portuguese lady was transported to hospital in a stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance.
The South African lady was assessed by paramedics and not requiring hospitalisation she was advised to attend an emergency room or a doctor for broad spectrum antibiotics, rabies and tetanus treatment, as a precaution.
A Brazilian man, a French lady, a French man and a South African man, who had sustained minor scrape bite wounds, were assessed by paramedics and not requiring hospitalisation they were was advised to attend at an emergency room or at a doctor for broad spectrum antibiotics, rabies and tetanus treatment, as a precaution.
A German man and a South African lady who had not been bitten required no further assistance.
It appears that the dive charter boat, with 4 crew and 8 adult divers, had arrived at Oudekraal where the 8 divers entered the water to prepare to scuba dive.
On entering the water to prepare to begin scuba diving, according to reports, a seal started to swim amongst the 8 divers and began biting the divers.
The boat crew were able to recover all 8 divers onto their boat and the alarm was raised.
CoCT authorities, DEFF (Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries), and the SPCA has been alerted to this incident.
NSRI, in cooperation with CoCT, are appealing to bathers and divers, in the Oudekraal area and along the Atlantic Seaboard to be aware of this incident and to be cautious.
The causes of the seals behaviour are unknown.
The skipper and crew of the dive charter boat are commended for swiftly recovering all divers from the water and alerting the emergency services.
ER24 ambulance services are commended for swiftly raising the alarm.
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