Will & Dre

Although this is a site mainly focused on fresh water fishing we do from time to time write some articles that has absolutely nothing to do with this fasset of the sport but is still very interesting. This is one of those articles and a follow up on our previous article “Shark fishing in Durban, the old school way”.

“One day Peter Botha was out at the end of the pier when another fisherman caught an 800-pounder, which was technically landed, except for the fact that it was lodged in some rocks a few feet off the pier. Botha jumped out on the rocks, one hand holding onto the wire leader, the other grasping a gaff. He leaped atop a small rock and, just as he lunged to to gaff the shark, a wave smashed over his perch and hurled him into the sea, directly into the jaws of the thrashing shark. Luckily Botha had not lost his handhold on the leader. Hand over hand, he pulled himself along the leader and got back on the rocks.”

Quoted from the New York Derrydale Press 1917

Peter Botha with a grey shark

I heard this story time and time again,and then some… not because the people liked telling it but because I bugged them so much that they eventually gave up and told me the story again! 99% of the time during a battle between shark and man, man showed his superiority and retired as champion! There was an occation or two however where man underestimated these beasts of the sea and came off second best. This almost held true for Peter Botha as he slipped that day in 1917. As told by his late ex wife he was covered in blood when he finally emerged and managed to pull himself back onto the rocks. Botha’s back was covered in scratch marks caused by fins, teeth and the rocks itself.

Another Durban shark

“A year after this incident, Botha found out what can happen to a person that strays near the jaws of a killer shark. He caught a 600 pounder and cut it open. In its belly he found the head, right arm and part of the backbone of a man.”

Quoted from the New York Derrydale Press 1917

The article in the New York Derrydale Tress

The battle between man and shark continues on a day to day basis and although man is superior , shark will wait… and stalk… and will get the occational surfer… swimmer… fisherman… or…

We might perceive ourselves as being higher up in the food chain , but taking the battle to the waters that these majestic animals roam might occasionally just turn the human advantage into a disadvantage!

Another battle won by man