Posts Tagged clifton second beach
City of Cape Town issues alert after possible great white sighting at Clifton Second Beach
Alison Kock has just informed Clifton Shark Files that the City of Cape Town has issued a strong alert warning to bathers to exercise caution after possible great white sightings along the Atlantic seaboard at Clifton Second Beach by the Camps Bay police department via an unidentified witness.
“Apparently a member of the public took the photograph with their phone and showed it to one of the policeman who confirmed it was a shark,” said Alison.
Unfortunately, they did not record the person’s details and Alison is unable to confirm whether it was a great white.
She has asked Clifton Shark Files to appeal to the public to come forward with the person’s name or details to help get a copy of the photograph and allow her and the Save Our Seas organization to confirm the type of shark.
Please contact us here or at [email protected], if you have any information for Alison and her team that may shed more light on the species. Alternatively, please contact Alison Kock directly at [email protected]
These photographs are essential to minimize public alarm and contribute to further information on the behavior of shark species on the Atlantic seaboard, which is currently under-researched, mainly due to funding reasons.
“We have in the meantime issued the following caution due to high shark activity in Cape Town: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/MediaReleases/Pages/Beachusersurgedtoremainalertwithcontinuedhighsharkactivity.aspx,” said Alison.
Clifton Shark Files has written extensively on the previous sightings and bites at Clifton during the 1970s, the last time an incident occurred.
While attention has been perennially focused on the great whites of False Bay, the Atlantic side remains largely a mystery.
These are some common sense rules to follow when using the ocean:
• Do not swim, surf or surf-ski when birds, dolphins or seals are feeding nearby
• Do not swim in deep water beyond the breakers
• Do not swim if you are bleeding
• Do not swim near river mouths
• Do not swim, surf or surf-ski near where trek-netting, fishing or spear fishing is taking place
• Do not swim, surf or surf-ski at night
• If a shark has recently been sighted in an area where no shark spotters are present, consider using another beach for the day
• First time visitors to beach areas should ask the local law enforcement official, life guards or locals about the area
• Obey beach officials if asked to leave the water
• For those people kayaking or surf-skiing far out to the sea, paddle in groups and stay close together (in a diamond shape)
• Consider using a personal shark shield when surfing or kayaking
• Pay attention to any shark signage on beaches
The City will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available and beach users are encouraged to visit www.sharkspotters.org.za and www.saveourseas.com for further information.
Recent sightings at Noordhoek beach
Alison Kock also updated Clifton Shark Files on recent sightings elsewhere on the Atlantic seaboard.
“We did have a white shark sighting a few days ago by a shark spotter at Noordhoek. We update the shark spotters website automatically with new sightings by shark spotters and sms’s are sent to various stakeholder agencies such as NSRI, disaster management etc as the sightings happen,” said Alison.