{"id":283691,"date":"2025-11-02T09:13:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T07:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/?p=283691"},"modified":"2025-11-02T09:13:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T07:13:25","slug":"big-bay-seal-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/big-bay-seal-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Bay seal attack: Surfer bitten multiple times while surfing at Bloubergstrand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\n\n

A Big Bay seal attack left a local surfer, Hjalmar Larsen (47), with multiple bite wounds. He was attacked while surfing at Bloubergstrand on Sunday morning. He was treated for deep injuries and given anti-rabies injections following the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larsen, who works in sales, said he had just paddled out. He was sitting about 50 metres from the lifeguard tower when the animal attacked in what locals are calling a Big Bay seal attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a seal playing in the water about 50 metres away from me, further out, and it looked perfectly normal,\u201d he said of the Big Bay seal attack. \u201cAt one stage it popped its head out of the water and gave me a dead stare. Then it dived down towards me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the water was slightly murky, so he could not see the animal approaching. Moments later, it surfaced beneath him and bit his leg during the relentless attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI immediately knew it was a seal because of all the attacks that have been happening,\u201d he said. \u201cIt kept on going at me, biting me repeatedly. I eventually managed to get my board between us, but it came back for me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n