Body Surfer Bitten by Sand Tiger at Port Elizabeth Beach

On the morning of January 1, 1946, Noel Buxton Redfern, a 24-year-old male, was body surfing at Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The beach was largely deserted due to poor weather conditions—cold, overcast skies, strong southeasterly winds, and wind-blown sand created an unpleasant environment. Redfern and his companion Ronald Patterson were approximately two meters apart in the water, which was murky with short, wind-driven waves and an ebbing tide. The water depth at the attack location was approximately 1.2 meters. While facing toward shore and waiting to catch a wave, Redfern was approached from behind by a sand tiger shark estimated at no more than 1.5 meters in length. The shark seized his lower leg, taking it into its mouth. Redfern attempted to free himself but, unable to do so, employed an unconventional defensive response: he sat on the shark and pushed it into the sand. This action prompted the shark to release him, and Redfern was able to reach shore without assistance. Redfern sustained eight deep puncture wounds to his right leg between his Achilles tendon and calf. He was transported to Dr. McRae's residence approximately ten minutes from the incident site, where his wounds were cleaned and sutured with eight stitches. The injury did not become infected, and his recovery was uneventful. This incident is one of few documented sand tiger shark attacks in South African waters and demonstrates both the rarity of such encounters and the generally non-fatal nature of most shark incidents.