Firstly I’m posting this picture for educational purposes only. I realise back home in WA there has been a shark attack and I post this with all due respect to both the surfer and his family. This is a great white shark we saw yesterday in South Africa. It was one of 6 we found cruising the shallows, right in amongst the surf. But this does not need to be cause for alarm. Great white sharks both here, and back home in Western Australia seasonally move inshore in spring/early summer. Despite media myths to the contrary this is a natural place to find these animals at this time of year. They have been doing it for eons. The reasons for these seasonal inshore movements are not fully understood, and can vary with location. However it is no surprise that it coincides with the annual whale migration, and seasonal aggregations of schooling fish like the snapper run in Cockburn sound. Close to this beach area is a large inshore reef system, home to schooling fish and other shark species, all prey to the great white shark. We also saw close to a dozen southern right whales and their calves, right in against the surf. So sharks at our beaches at times like this, should be no surprise. During these periods, whilst the risk is still small, there is a greater chance of sharks cruising your local beach and/or surf spot. In turn knowledge is power as they say. If you are truly concerned about the sharks, keep yourself informed of sightings. In South Africa the Shark Spotters post all shark sightings, including time and place. They also use signage at the beach, so people can keep track of shark activity in their area. In Western Australia you can follow the SurfLifeSavingWA twitter page, which posts shark sightings. Also be aware of your surroundings, i.e schooling fish, whales inshore etc. These are all keys to help you make informed decisions on when and where to use the water. The area of the recent attack had numerous sightings of sharks in the preceding two weeks, including great whites. Whilst the area is remote, appropriate signage at the beach would have been great to allow visitors to be aware of the increased activity. Finally this post is in no way judging anyone about their water use. I surf and have many times surfed with seals, dolphins etc, but I acknowledge the risk in doing so. Simply this post is to remind people that great white sharks inshore IS a natural and seasonally occurring event. It is does not need to trigger panic and fear, but should cause a greater respect and increased knowledge at these times to help minimise any risks. Cheers.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 06:56:54 +0000
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