June 28, 2011. The KZN diving fraternity has been rocked by the news that an American diver working with a research team studying the annual Sardine Run has been attacked by a 3m shark just off Aliwal Shoal.
The shark, believed to have been a Dusky, bit the man – in his 20s – in the leg in the vicinity of Aliwal Shoal, and he has been taken to a Durban hospital for specialist treatment.
Aliwal Shoal is a popular recreational and research dive site, famous for interaction with Ragged Tooth Sharks, which are generally believed to be passive. The site is regarded as a treasure of the south coast tourism and is not known for shark attacks.
**Meanwhile, the KZN Sharks Board has warned that shark nets have been removed along most of the KZN coastline to allow for the annual sardine run, so bathers need to stay out of the water during intense sardine activity.
The East Coast Radio website named the victim of the attack as 22-year-old American Paolo Stanchi.
More on the web: Shark attack was a freak accident.