On 12 January 2010, a Zimbabwean tourist was attacked by a shark at Fish Hoek beach near Cape Town. The Save Our Seas Foundation said that the shark in question was most probably a great white shark. Eyewitnesses said that it was "the size of a minibus" and that the man was not in deep water at the time. All that was recovered was the man's pair of goggles. The attack was completely unexpected, and was over even before anyone was sure what had happened. Close by, a black flag placed by the City of Cape Town's Shark Spotters, waved silently in the wind. The black flag is used to indicate that a shark spotter is on duty but that the visibility is poor. When there are clouds overhead and the water is murky, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to spot a shark from the beach or from the nearby mountain.

Article and photos by Inge Papp

The community and beachgoers were shocked to the core, and naturally wanted to blame someone. The Shark Spotters were targeted as the scapegoat, despite the fact that they had placed the black flag on display precisely to warn beachgoers about the poor visibility, and despite the fact that a warning had been issued by the Shark Spotters just the previous day about an increase in shark sightings. The culprit, namely the shark, was not found. It was a brutal reminder of the fact that South Africa’s rich array of wildlife should not just be treated as a tourist attraction, but ought to be respected. "Sharks are apex predators and as such play a vital role in maintaining healthy oceans. When we enter the water we enter their territory. Shark bites, however, are extremely rare. The last shark bite in Cape Town’s waters was in 2007 and the last shark bite fatality was in 2004, yet thousands of people swim in False Bay every day," wrote Cheryl-Samantha Owen on the Shark Spotters' website, reminding us to see this incident in perspective.

Shark Spotters was started in 2004 by Greg Bertish, a surfer and businessman from Muizenberg. It was in response to an increased number of sharks seen in the area, and the lack of an established early-warning system. Together with Rasta Davids (a car guard at the time) and Monwabisi Sikiya (a lifeguard), Greg started raising funds to buy equipment. They obtained a shark alarm that could be triggered by remote control, and stationed one spotter on the beach and one on the mountain close by. The initiative was sponsored by Reef and Puma, as well as local shops involved in surf culture around Cape Town, and more equipment was obtained - flags and flagpoles for the warning system, boards to indicate what each flag meant, binoculars, two-way radios, medical supplies and sunglasses. Greg also sent the fledgling shark spotters on first aid courses and set up a tiny base station on the beach below.

Eventually, the project started showing success and this prompted further expansion. The City of Cape Town provided R400 000 to the project, and it grew to include other beaches. Today, the Shark Spotters cover nine different beaches across the Cape Peninsula, eight of which are in False Bay. Other organisations, namely the World Wildlife Fund and AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, took notice and also got involved. Shark Spotters now have vehicles (called "Sharkmobiles") and uniforms, as well as a very informative website where shark activity at Muizenberg, St James and Fish Hoek beaches is updated every week.

Besides its obvious function as a warning system, Shark Spotters also provides first aid in the event of a shark attack. The constant presence of the spotters helps to create awareness about sharks, and the initiative also provides employment opportunities. One of the initiative’s most often overlooked benefits, but nevertheless a very important one, is to collect data that can be used to determine patterns and tendencies in shark activity. In this way, the shark spotters are helping us to understand these amazing creatures and are protecting the sharks as well as the swimmers. More than 530 sharks have been seen by Shark Spotters since the inception of the project - which would likely have gone unnoticed otherwise.

From her position on Boyes Drive overlooking Muizenberg beach, Ethel can see a great expanse of water. When she spots a shark, she says, her next step depends on which direction the shark is going. If the shark is headed away from Muizenberg towards St James, she alerts the spotters on duty at St James beach of the incoming predator. If it is heading for Muizenberg beach, she immediately activates the siren and everyone is called out of the water. She also alerts the lifeguards on duty and the project manager, who contacts the NSRI, Law Enforcement and the Save Our Seas Shark Centre in Kalk Bay. The white flag is raised, and is only lowered when the shark can no longer be seen. When the shark has disappeared, the red flag is raised for the next two hours. When two hours have passed without the shark being seen again, the flag is changed to either black or yellow depending on visibility.

Shark Spotters recommends following these simple rules to avoid a shark bite:

The Cape Argus: 12 January 2010.

www.sharkspotters.org.za - accessed on 19 January 2010.