Wednesday morning gave Simon’s Town something it has waited eight years to say: A great white shark is back at Seal Island, Cape {town} Etc reports.
A young shark, described as a sub-adult, swam up to the African Shark Eco-Charters boat just north of the island on 23 September, and the crew filmed it. It is the first great white the operator has seen on one of its Seal Island trips since 2018.
A surprise the crew will not forget
Rob Lawrence, whose company runs cage diving trips from Simon’s Town, says nobody on board saw it coming. ‘It really was a big surprise when our crew spotted a young shark this morning,’ he said.
Years of empty water made the moment sweeter. ‘They have literally vanished and this is the first time we have seen them in eight years,’ Lawrence said.
The footage captures the crew’s delight as the shark takes the bait. The bait sits on a line with no hook, so the shark can let go whenever it pleases. The company announced the news on Facebook with a ‘BREAKING NEWS’ post and a teaser for the next trip: ‘There’s only one way to find out!’
Why the great whites left
False Bay has long been famous for its white sharks, so their disappearance left a gap in the bay’s story. The finger points at two killer whales, Port and Starboard, named after their floppy dorsal fins. Researchers linked them to the deaths of several great whites in 2017, when carcasses with missing livers washed up at Gansbaai between February and June. SANParks marine biologist Dr Alison Kock co-authored that research.
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Kock has said the sharks ‘ultimately abandoned former key habitats, which has had significant knock-on effects for both the ecosystem and shark-related tourism,’ according to Dive Magazine. Gansbaai stayed empty of white sharks for two and a half years, and bronze whaler sharks moved into the space they left.
Could the sharks be coming home?
Nobody can promise that yet. If Port and Starboard stay away from the bay, though, the sharks may slowly feel safe enough to return.
What happens next
The crew heads back to Seal Island on Thursday 24 September. Managing director Karen Lawrence says the team is celebrating this one sighting and waiting to see whether more follow.
Want to be on board for the next one? Book your shark cage diving trip here.
Details:
- Location: African Shark Eco-Charters, Simon’s Town
- Times: Two trips daily, morning and afternoon
- Bookings: secure.activitybridge.com
- Socials: Facebook- African Shark Eco-Charters
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Also read:
The silent waters of False Bay: The disappearance of the Great White shark
Video: African Shark Eco-Charters / Facebook
Picture: Screenshot / African Shark Eco-Charters and guest: Anita Hodge
