PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Despite a harrowing encounter with a shark in Plettenberg Bay last week, 19-year-old surfer Dylan Reddering is looking forward to catching his next wave.
“I’m very lucky and grateful that I have walked away from this knowing that I’ll make a full recovery,” Reddering said from his hospital bed at the Life Knynsa Private Hospital this week.
Reddering was attacked by a shark while surfing at Lookout Beach on Friday, June 26 and suffered severe lacerations and muscle damage to the right side of his body, including his ribs, his buttocks and his leg. His injuries required surgery soon after the incident.
But just how lucky he was to have survived the ordeal hit home the next day when he received news that fellow-student at University of Cape Town (UCT), 19-year-old Caleb Swanepoel, had lost his right leg in separate shark attack on the Garden Route on Saturday, June 27.
Swanepoel was bodyboarding at Buffel's Bay outside Knysna when he was bitten by a shark.
The Plett youngster, who is also studying at UCT and who was home for the holidays, said he had just finished giving two young boys a surfing lesson when he grabbed a friend’s surfboard and wetsuit and went for a paddle.
“I didn’t have my board or my wetsuit in Plett so I borrowed a friend’s. His board is a lot wider and thicker compared to my own and I believe that this actually saved my life in the end.”
Reddering said he had a lot of fun surfing on Friday. “I was whistling and shouting with joy after each wave as I had such a good time.”
The young surfer’s shrieks of joy however turned to screams for help in an instant when he was suddenly “hit” by what he assumes was a great white shark.
“I had just surfed my last wave as it was getting dark and cold when I saw another nice set come through. As I paddled towards it, I was suddenly hit. It was so powerful; it felt like I was hit by a car. I knew it was a shark, I know it sounds impossible, but I could almost feel its texture through the wetsuit.
“I immediately started kicking and punching in the water in case it was still around. I grabbed the board, which was right next to me at the time and used it as a shield. Luckily the set I was paddling for reached me at that time and I could ride my way back to shore.”
While trying to get back to shore Reddering looked down towards where he was hit and realised that he had in fact been bitten.
“I could see the gash, but I immediately knew I was okay and didn’t damage a major artery as there wasn’t excessive blood.”
On his way to shore a fellow surfer, Wotjeck Orzechowski, was paddling out. “I just shouted that he should turn around as there was a shark and told him I was bitten.”
At that stage other surfers at Lookout Beach, including Adriaan Augustyn, Lloyd Champan and Orzechowski’s son Taj, realised something was wrong and came to his aid.
“As I neared the beach there was a current that kept on sucking me back in. Both Adriaan and Wotjeck tried to push me out onto the beach, but they too were sucked in. Eventually Lloyd who was further out in the water pulled me onto the beach.
“I think at first, they thought I was messing around, especially after the whistling and shouting about the waves I was getting, but they saw the splash and knew something had happened.”
Reddering said his fellow-surfers kept him calm and placed pressure on his wounds until emergency services arrived, including Plettenberg Bay National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) volunteers. One of these volunteers is the youngster’s father, Marty Reddering.
Another Plett local Pieter Boschoff gave him a jacket and beanie to keep him warm until help arrived.
After being stablised at the Plettenberg Bay Medi-Clinic, Reddering was transferred to the Life Knynsa Private Hospital where he underwent surgery.
“Every surfer faces that risk when out in the water. We are in their territory and they are predators. In most cases [attacks on humans] are just a case of mistaken identity.”
He added that the shark that bit him, struck from the bottom and first hit the bottom of the board. “You can see from the angle of the gash, that the shark realised that it had not bitten into food and pulled away.”
Reddering said that he started surfing at the age of eight and have had many shark encounters over the years. “I’ve seen ragged-tooth sharks, hammerheads, bronze whalers and even great whites while out surfing.”
The youngster, who grew up in Plettenberg Bay, said he had been overwhelmed by support and love from friends, family and the local community.
“I would just like to thank everyone for their support over the past few days. It really means a lot to me.”
He added that doctors said that he would make a full recovery and the he was looking forward to getting back in the water soon.
In the meantime, Swanepoel is recovering at the George Medi-Clinic where he underwent surgery on Monday, June 29.
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