Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board employee had to be airlifted to hospital after he began experiencing chest pains whilst out at sea earlier today.

The man was believed to have been aboard a vessel and conducting routine work on offshore shark nets when he became gravely ill.

IPSS Medical Rescue, Paul Herbst, said fortunately the skipper on board is first aid trained and was able to recognise what was going on. The skipper then alerted IPSS for assistance.

"A unit was dispatched to meet the vessel at Zinkwazi Beach. Upon consultation, advanced life support practitioners ascertained that the man was experiencing an acute cardiac emergency and worked to stabilise the patient, whilst requesting aero-medical support," he said.

Herbst said the Black Eagle/IPSS aero-medical helicopter mobilised and landed nearby, before airlifting the patient to Lenmed Ethekweni Hospital and Heart Centre. The patient underwent emergency surgery shortly after landing.