The National Sea Rescue Institute says the man who was bitten by a shark while surfing at Supertubes in Jeffrey’s Bay yesterday, is in good spirits — on the road to recovery.

NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty crew were activated yesterday afternoon at 17h30, following reports of a man bitten by a shark.

A bystander had raised the alarm and was provided with the access code to the NSRI shark bite kit stationed at that beach.

NSRI Jeffreys Bay rescue swimmers and NSRI medics responded directly to the scene while an NSRI rescue craft was prepared to be launched.

Private Care ambulance services, Gardmed ambulance services, the SA Police Services and EC Government Health EMS responded.

When NSRI medics arrived on the scene, they assisted public members who had already applied trauma pads to a bite wound sustained by the surfer who was safe out of the water.

The patient, believed to be aged 50, from Cape Town, was in a stable condition and he was in good spirits.

An eye-witness reported that fellow surfers, who had initially retreated out of the water after being alerted that there had been an incident involving a shark, had returned into the surf to fetch the casualty out of the water.

Paramedics took over care of the patient.

Secured onto a stretcher the patient was brought off the beach and then transported to hospital by a Gardmed ambulance for further care.

The NSRI has commended the swift action of the public members and the Good Samaritan fellow surfers.

NSRI and Kouga Municipality are appealing to bathers, surfers and sea users in the area to be cautious following this incident.

Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay is a popular surf spot, attracting many top surfers from around the world, and winter is the best time to catch the best waves.

It’s the second shark encounter in a week. It follows a shark encounter at the Mdumbi beach along the Wild Coast on 1 May.

A freediver, believed to be in his 40’s had a lucky escape, after he was bitten by a shark while freediving off Mdumbi beach.