Cape Town: Beachgoers evacuated from water after shark sighting
The sharp-eyed shark spotting team in Cape Town have been called upon twice during Tuesday, as a fearsome visitor forced swimmers out of the water.
The keen-eyed shark spotters of Cape Town have been kept busy on Tuesday, as they had to clear swimmers from Kogel Bay twice after spotting a “visitor” circling near the coast.
Cape Town shark sighting – latest news:
The Bronze Whaler shark looks to have found a spot it quite likes. Kogel Bay sits in the False Bay region of Cape Town, and is home to beautiful blue waters and breathtaking scenery. The first sighting of the shark occurred at 9:15 on Tuesday 14 January, and beachgoers were forced to leave the sea.
Then, once more at 14:40, the fearsome creature returned to the caves which sit near the location, prompting another evacuation of the local swimmers. There have been no casualties to report, and it the beach should be safe to swim at later in the afternoon.
Kogel Bay – swimmers cleared from the sea on Tuesday 14 January
It’s thought that the same Bronze Whaler – or at least, some its friends – had been enjoying this part of Cape Town recently, and may have been spotted at least five times in the past week:
Bronze whaler shark spotted @ Muizenberg beach (1.52pm, 11 Jan 2020). Outside water user area, Red flag flown as precaution. #BeSharkSmart
— Shark Spotters (@SharkSpotters) January 11, 2020
Bronze whaler shark spotted @ Caves, Kogel Bay (2.15pm, 9 Jan 2020). Outside water user area, Red flag flown as precaution. #BeSharkSmart
— Shark Spotters (@SharkSpotters) January 9, 2020
Good news for marine experts
As well as dipping into Fish Hoek over the weekend, this particular breed of shark has been spotted near the caves of Kogel Bay multiple times. There’s been some thrilling activity in this area during January, too…
False Bay runs from Muizenberg right round to Kleinmond in the Western Cape. It’s home to some of the best-kept secret beaches in the province. But over the years, it developed a reputation for being the favourite hang-out of Great White sharks. Sadly, not one of them was spotted here throughout the whole of 2019. But this year has started on a positive note, as the first one returned to the region last week:
A 4m white shark was spotted off Macassar beach this morning by @UrbanEdgeSharks during an aerial survey of False Bay for @SANParks. Many thanks to pilot John Bassie for making the flight possible.
— Shark Spotters (@SharkSpotters) January 11, 2020
Spotters remain alert for further white shark sightings inshore.
?: Alison Kock pic.twitter.com/k7VgxBurrv