A man has made a "miraculous" recovery after nearly drowning and being left without a pulse for up to an hour.
Architectural technician John Deeks, from London, was dragged from the water by two bathers after his body was seen by a shark spotter off the Cape Town coast. A doctor who was sunbathing on the beach began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Dr James Laing said: "I don't know how long he had been in the water but I started resuscitation on him while someone else called for paramedics.
"It was between 12 to 15 minutes before they arrived and were able to use advanced techniques to revive him."
Darren Zimmerman, station commander at the nearby National Sea Rescue Institute office, said: “The surf was coming in so we had to move him up the beach and into the ambulance.
"We don't know how long he was in the water but he must have been without a pulse for between 40 and 60 minutes."
Mr Deeks, a South African who lives in Colliers Wood, south London, was put on a ventilator after the accident last Thursday. He was taken off the machine on Saturday and made an immediate recovery. He was released from hospital last night.
Mr Deeks, 35, does not remember what happened but suspects a large wave may have dragged him into a whirlpool. "It's a miracle I survived," he said.
