The past two weeks has seen marine life sighting after sighting at Cape beaches. From whales to dolphins and sharks, our wildlife has been out to play this summer.
Also read: Look! Whales, dolphins, sharks and more – Cape Town captured from above
Last week alone saw two shark sightings. One video, taken at Dappat se Gat, shocked thousands. A bronze whaler was captured on drone camera swimming dangerously close to surfers.
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Shark ? tank @cutmaker pic.twitter.com/vqFF3s9LbZ
— Greg Davies (@the_gregdavies) January 18, 2022
Needless to say Capetonians have been on high alert, so when Shark Spotters signalled a shark sighting at Muizenberg Beach on Sunday, beach goers panicked.
Shark Spotters is a pioneering shark safety and research organisation that has attracted international attention because of the novel way it pro-actively reduces interactions and conflict between recreational water users and white sharks.
Started in 2004 in response to a spate of shark bite incidents and increased shark sightings, Shark Spotters is now the primary shark safety strategy used in Cape Town.
The Democratic Alliance’s Ricardo Mackenzie shared the following footage Twitter. Bathers are seen being called out of the ocean and are congregating on the sand. The event took place at around 2pm.
WATCH:
.@SharkSpotters alert on Muizenberg beach. Stay alert! pic.twitter.com/6rtJlBGjVw
— Ricardo Mackenzie (@ricardomackenzi) January 23, 2022
The beach was packed due to Cape Town’s hectic heatwave. Muizenberg Beach was hitting temps beyond 30-degrees at the time.
Also read: Cape Town reportedly makes history: hottest temperatures ever recorded
According to Shark Spotters, a surfer had said he’d seen a shark in the water. Fortunately, with the help of drone technology, it was confirmed that it was a false sighting. Rather safe than sorry, though!
If you’d prefer an extra set of eyes on the ocean while you swim, Shark Spotters is located at the following beaches:
- Clovelly,
- Fish Hoek
- Monwabisi,
- Noordhoek,
- The Caves,
- Glencairn
- Muizenberg
- St James
Also read:
A wild week of ocean activity for the Cape – check out the shots!
Picture: Screenshot / Twitter