If you're going to swim in shark infested waters....
...the best place to do it is here, in Muizenberg, South Africa. Not that most people have a great desire to spend their holiday in oceans that are frequented by white sharks, but if it's the only good beach around, it's a good bet that people will end up in the water with the big fishies.
The reason I say that Muizenberg is the best option is because of the fantastic Shark Spotters program here. It began simply enough. A few of the car parkers along the beach were asked by the local surfers to keep an eye out for fins in the water. That has expanded to a large scale project involving the World Wildlife Fund, funding by sponsors like Reef Wetsuits and Puma, the installation of a Shark Alarm and warning flags, and over 30 spotters who watch from various locations around False Bay.
There are about 5 sharks in this area that have been tagged due to previous aggressive behavior. Needless to say, the spotters keep an extra close eye on those guys, but also keep tabs on any other sharks that happen to approach the popular swimming/surfing beaches. The spotters are so familiar with the sharks, they can recognize some of them by the movement of the shark alone.
For those of us in the water in Muizenberg, it is reassuring to know that the spotters are there to let us know when a shark is in the water with us. They spot them as far out as possible and immediately sound the alarm and change the flag on the beach to a white flag with a black shark on it. That's the cue to get out of the water.
Even after the shark has vacated the area, the flag is changed to red as a warning that a shark has been in the area in the last two hours. So far, I have not been around or in the water when the alarm has been sounded, but I have seen the red flag up. I have no intention of going in the water when the red flag is flying.
The majority of the time, the flag is black, which means that the spotters are on duty and no sharks have been spotted, but visibility is not perfect. Once in a while it will be green, meaning that visibility is good and no sharks have been spotted. When the flag is down at night, the spotters are not on duty and you are swimming at your own risk.
If you're interested in learning more, check out the Shark Spotters website:
www.sharkspotters.org.za
The reason I say that Muizenberg is the best option is because of the fantastic Shark Spotters program here. It began simply enough. A few of the car parkers along the beach were asked by the local surfers to keep an eye out for fins in the water. That has expanded to a large scale project involving the World Wildlife Fund, funding by sponsors like Reef Wetsuits and Puma, the installation of a Shark Alarm and warning flags, and over 30 spotters who watch from various locations around False Bay.
There are about 5 sharks in this area that have been tagged due to previous aggressive behavior. Needless to say, the spotters keep an extra close eye on those guys, but also keep tabs on any other sharks that happen to approach the popular swimming/surfing beaches. The spotters are so familiar with the sharks, they can recognize some of them by the movement of the shark alone.
For those of us in the water in Muizenberg, it is reassuring to know that the spotters are there to let us know when a shark is in the water with us. They spot them as far out as possible and immediately sound the alarm and change the flag on the beach to a white flag with a black shark on it. That's the cue to get out of the water.
Even after the shark has vacated the area, the flag is changed to red as a warning that a shark has been in the area in the last two hours. So far, I have not been around or in the water when the alarm has been sounded, but I have seen the red flag up. I have no intention of going in the water when the red flag is flying.
The majority of the time, the flag is black, which means that the spotters are on duty and no sharks have been spotted, but visibility is not perfect. Once in a while it will be green, meaning that visibility is good and no sharks have been spotted. When the flag is down at night, the spotters are not on duty and you are swimming at your own risk.
If you're interested in learning more, check out the Shark Spotters website:
www.sharkspotters.org.za
posted by Kt at
7:00 AM
1 Comments:
Psycho ray pointed at you right now...
By
Anonymous, at 11:06 PM
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