Surfer's hair almost leads to her drowning in the Eastern Cape

A surfer almost drowned on Thursday afternoon in the Eastern Cape after her hair got caught up in her surfboard leash.

National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) St Francis Bay station commander Sara Jane Smith said in a media statement on Thursday they got a call at 4.03pm about the possible drowning at the surfing spot Granny’s Pool near St Francis Bay.

“A 22-year-old Cape Town female surfer was caught in rip currents after it appears that her hair got caught in the surfboard leash causing her to be dunked under water during a wave set and then on surfacing being swept out to sea by a rip current,” Smith said.

“The surfer was assessed for non-fatal drowning symptoms and did not require immediate medical attention and she would consult a doctor later if non-fatal drowning symptoms developed.”