Sharks sighting alert
CRUISE: Bronze whaler shark at Muizenberg.
Footage of sharks swimming near the shore of Muizenberg beach have caused alarm, but the City of Cape Town has reassured the public that there is no need for concern.
The video posted to social media on Sunday has already amassed over 70 000 views showing a shark, which has now been identified as a bronze whaler shark, swimming near the shoreline while beachgoers looked on.
One person joked: “It’s that time when they come and ask if we don’t have a R5 for them. I don’t think they mean any harm.“
Another user commented: “Imagine the whole festive the sharks decide to be this close. I think they’re taking their home town back.“
Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews said that bronze whaler sharks don’t really pose a risk to beachgoers.
Mayco Member for Spatial Planning and Environment Andrews says: “These are common in our waters all year round and are not known to pose a risk to water users.
“Regardless, when spotted at the beaches, the Shark Spotters do raise the shark warning flag and will clear the water.
“No great white sharks have been seen, and if they are, we will alert the public immediately or issue an advisory indicating this.”
Research data from Shark Spotters has shown that there has been a decline in great white sharks.
Data from 2016 to 2021 show that the number of great whites have declined from 100 sharks sighted in 2016 to about a handful in 2021.
Most of the sharks spotted now are predominantly bronze whaler sharks.