Watching for sharks Surfing in Cape Town is getting risky
South Africa pioneers shark spotting programme.
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Following a series of attacks by Great White Sharks in recent years, surfing at certain beaches in Cape Town has become increasingly risky.
These incidents, a few fatal, have spurred reactions from the South African public. Some are calling for the culling of the Great White (a protected species). Others want to prohibit nearby shark cage diving tour operators, who bait the sharks (and, some believe, cause the sharks to associate man with food).
Whilst neither of these actions have been proven nor implemented, the debate rages on. These views are tempered only by the overriding belief that most attacks are still a case of mistaken identity and are merely due to increased activity of humans in the ocean.
Fortunately the attacks have also produced a unique solution to the problem. ‘Shark Spotters’ began informally in 2004, when local surfers at Muizenberg (a beginner’s break near a Great White breeding ground), began asking car guard Patrick ‘Rasta’ Davids to keep an eye out for lurkers in the water, too.
Through the subsequent efforts of Davids, a recovering drug addict who saw a chance to make a difference, and surf tour operator Greg Bertish, the project grew quickly. It now has the support of various sponsors, local government and other institutions (including the World Wildlife Fund), as well as Cape Town’s surfers.
Now teams of previously unemployed, disadvantaged citizens watch over some of the city’s busiest and sharkiest beaches during peak times. Using a system of sirens and flags, the spotters – usually one on the hill and one on the beach – raise the alarm when suspect shadows appear, clearing the water instantly.
Although the project’s long-term effectiveness is still unproven, the system has been lauded as a viable alternative to shark nets, which destroy many forms of sea life.
Most importantly though, there have been no attacks at any of these beaches since the programme’s inception. A comforting fact when you paddle out and look back up at the hill to see the shark spotters watching over you.
This story originally appeared in Huck #004.
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