Google. Marie Levine, All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or reproduced in any form without written permission of the author..

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1 Google Joe Kool ACTIVITY: Swimming CASE: GSAF a / SA-231 DATE: Wednesday February 13, 1974 LOCATION: The incident took place in the Indian Ocean at Inyoni Rocks, Amanzimtoti, 26 kilometres southwest of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 'S, 30 53,4'E NAME: Johannes Willem Kool DESCRIPTION: He was 19-year-old white male, 1,8 metres tall and weighing 65 kilograms. He was blonde, tanned, and wore an orange Speedo swim suit, the official swim costume of the Amanzimtoti Surf Life-saving Club. He wore no jewelry and had no injuries before entering the water. BACKGROUND WEATHER: The weather was hot; temperatures ranged from 24 to 27,7 C. The sky was cloudless and during the morning there was a light southwesterly breeze. Shortly after noon the wind changed to south-southwesterly, finally dropping completely at 19h00. MOON PHASE: Third Quarter, February 14, 1974 SEA CONDITIONS: For some weeks prior to the incident, KwaZulu-Natal had been experiencing heavy rains in the interior. As a result, most rivers were in flood and emptying into the sea. The flood conditions caused a marked water turbidity and deposited large quantities of plant debris and animal remains in the sea. Water visibility in the surf zone was zero, and was only 1,2 metres beyond the backline. The sea temperature was 24ºC and high tide occurred at 17h46.

2 Large waves 1,2 metres in height were breaking on a sandbank about 175 metres from the beach. The waves rolled across the sandbank and reformed in a channel between the sandbank and the beach before breaking on the shore. The shorebreak had eroded a steeply shelving bank at the water's edge and created a close inshore channel, the incident took place seaward of this channel. A rip current flowed out to sea adjacent to Inyoni Rocks. CONDITION OF THE SHARK NETS: On February 6, 1974, surf conditions deteriorated making launching of ski-boats impossible. Large surf and rough seas persisted until the day after the attack. The nets had not been serviced for seven days and bathing was banned. Inspection of the shark nets immediately after the attack revealed that five of the nine nets were severely bunched. DISTANCE FROM SHORE: 50 to 70 metres, seaward of a deep channel DEPTH: Deep, Kool could not stand. TIME: 19h00 (sunset was at 18h45) NARRATIVE: Joe Kool, Damon Kendrick and Eric Verkerk had been among a group of lifesavers training for the Southern Natal Surf Life-saving Championships scheduled to be held in Amanzimtoti. They had been engaged in beach drills but afterwards some of the club members went into the water to wash the sand off their bodies, and the three boys followed. The other life-savers had left the water but the trio lingered in the sea and body-surfed. Kool was farthest seaward and in midbreak, treading water and facing seaward. The shark came from behind and bumped me in the back, near my left kidney, said Kool. It gave me a momentary fright, but I thought that someone had surfaced behind me. Then I felt it grab my right leg. I pulled my leg away and hit at it with my fist and it let me go. The sea was murky; it was too dark to see into the water. I shouted to the others to get back, Swim! Get back to shore! I caught a wave to the beach. Then I heard Damon (Kendrick) shout. I turned and saw him flung in the air and saw the blood in the water. I ran back and dragged him out of the water. INJURY: There were visible bite marks and lacerations on Kool's right shin. FIRST AID: Kool received minimal first aid; the life-savers were intent on treating Kendrick. He did have some care on the beach, however, the Natal Mercury published a photograph of Kool, with bandaged

3 lower right leg, assisting Kendrick in the ambulance. TREATMENT: Four sutures were placed in Kool's leg at Addington Hospital. SPECIES INVOLVED: Not identified. COMMENT: Although Kool's injury was minor, this case is significant because it is one of the few cases, apart from disasters at sea, in which more than one person was bitten at the same time. Moments after Kool was bitten by the shark, a shark (possibly the same one that Kool had encountered) bit Damon Kendrick. SOURCES: Interviews with Joe Kool and Stan Jooste CASE INVESTIGATOR: Marie Levine Map of Inyoni Rocks showing locations of this and other 10 other incidents. (From Wallett)

4 Caption: Joe Kool helps his fellow club member, Damon Kendrick, 14, out of the ambulance at Addington Hospital. His leg is bandaged at the knee where the shark first bit him. Also helping his son from the ambulance is Mr. J. Kendrick (background) Photograph courtesy of the Eastern Province Herald

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