Heartache at Alkantstrand
MINUTES after leaving the water, popular local surfer Mark Trollip (38) collapsed after suffering what appeared to have been a heart attack.
Prolonged, heroic efforts by lifeguards and paramedics who were soon on the scene failed to resuscitate him through CPR and use of a defibrillator.
Fellow surfers said Mark had complained of not being well and had asked a friend to take him to hospital moments before he buckled to the ground.
His distraught wife Marlise and parents Peter and Wendy attended the tragic scene, where a large number of shocked surfers who had left the water prayed for a miracle that was not to be.