So Surfing and Sharks have become so synonymous with one another that if you were to consider taking it up as a pass-time these days the first reaction you’d get from most loving parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, cousins or friends would be “Don’t get eaten by a Shark”
“Don’t get eaten by a Shark!”
Though mostly said in jest (but not really) this has become a top of mind response and a genuine concern for some people. Now we’re long past the days of ‘JAWS‘ and the absolute blind fear it instilled upon beach goers in the late 70’s which forced nearly everybody to think twice before dipping even their toe into any body of water. It had kids fearing swimming pools, adults fearing anything above knee depth and some the ocean entirely! All of this however was born from a false portrayal of the Great White Shark, so I thought I’d try give you some perspective/enlightenment from my personal experiences of running surf trips up and down a coast that is considered to have one of the largest numbers of Great White Sharks on the planet (that last bit just sent chills down your spine?).
Gans Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
Being South African you generally consider yourself to be quite a ‘tough-nut’ and growing up here you weren’t afforded much room for ‘softness’ but even this wasn’t enough to eliminate the fear of Sharks whilst learning to surf, it was however enough to ‘just get on with it’. We got in the water and had the time our lives, overcoming a fear of the ocean that serves as a right of passage with the sport, the more you do it the more your fear diminishes and after a while it all just seems rather silly. “Only a surfer knows the feeling” is the only rationale I have for this.
I found this quite interesting
So yes it is well known that our oceans are home to apex predators like the Great White Shark but just because they’re there doesn’t necessarily mean they’re an immediate threat to us or a threat so considerable that our waters should be deemed unsafe. In fact, I’ve never seen one in the water ever and neither have my colleagues or most surfers I know. South Africa has a long standing tradition of oceanic sports and waterman across all divisions have been frequenting the water in large numbers for decades with very low Shark incidents. The odds are largely stacked in your favour in this regard and while the minuscule threat is there it isn’t one which warrants not entering the water and potentially getting the ride of your life!
Me at the Wreck in Plett, it’s an incredible wave! Also a well known territory for Great Whites but with no attacks to date
Acknowledging that some spots have a ‘higher risk’ than others it is still honestly something that rarely crosses my mind when in the water and I’m in the water often. Running trips up the coast for most of the year, we’re often in the water twice a day all over the coastline and I’ve never had or heard of any incidents during our trips. I/we do however acknowledge the potential threat and act accordingly making smart, calculated judgements. It simply means you have to be knowledgeable.
“It simply means you have to be knowledgeable.”
Beaches in South Africa these days provide thorough access to information with regards to Shark Awareness
So a while back when I first learnt to surf there wasn’t the same infrastructure as there is today when it comes to beach safety and Shark awareness, but through community I came to learn of the general do’s and dont’s as they were when it came to being ‘shark smart’, nearly all of which is still relevant today.
One attack is too many and for this reason a Shark Spotter programme was setup in Cape Town at popular surf spots and beaches, most notably Muizenberg Beach where we personally spend a lot of time in the beginning of our trips as it is considered to be the best beginner wave around. It’s comforting knowing we have eyes above always on the lookout for anything concerning.
Muizenberg Beach, the starting point for our South African trips
The truth is we take every precaution necessary when conducting surf lessons on our trips and we utilise the best people, their skills and local knowledge are always held in the highest regard. Example of this came during a trip in July 2016, before we had left Cape Town for Plettenberg Bay our local guru there informed us that there had been a few Shark citings in the area given the time of year and the attraction of the nearby seal colony (Great Whites main source of food) and while no incidents had occurred both parties agreed that it’d be best if we stayed on longer in Cape Town and spend less time in Plett. Some might consider it to being a bit too cautious but we were scoring great waves in Cape Town and it wasn’t a tough choice in the end. No need to take unnecessary risks.
“No need to take unnecessary risks.”
Our now short stop-over in Plett ended up offering us a unique once in a life-time opportunity. The Robberg Point, an iconic landmark which towers over the bay in Plett is an incredible hiking trail with amazing views but also offers a great vantage point to view the seal colony that resides at the bottom of its steep slopes. We went in the hope of actually seeing a Great White Shark swim by, we’d heard rumours of this and thought we’d try see one for ourselves.
Robberg Point
Sure enough we saw one swim by.. It’s not what you’d expect though. Almost mechanically it just cruised into view, hugging the coastline as cool as a cucumber, it even swam by a group of seals which we estimated to be only 10m from it and without even flinching it just kept on its path. This isn’t what you’d expect from this apex predator had you watched any Hollywood film involving it. You would of expected it to just kill everything in site and most people actually believe this to be true, but all it did was calmly swim a pattern around the bay. The beauty of this unique citing is that we weren’t on a boat on an expensive expedition baiting the water and enticing it. We were witnessing it as natural as ever, it wasn’t even aware that we were there. This was the first time in my life that I have ever seen a shark in the sea and after seeing it in the way that I did I am even more relaxed about their presence and that was the consensus of all of us there that day. They’ve been there, they’ve always been there and if we were really of any interest to them there would probably be an encounter daily given the amount of surfers in the water at any given time all along our coastline.
We’re guessing this guy was between 3-4 meters long
On another trip to Plett later in 2016 we went back to the Robberg in the hope that we’d again get to witness these incredible animals naturally in the wild only this time something even more remarkable happened! A small Great White approached a group of Seals sunbathing at the colony, we thought we were about to witness a predation but as the Shark came to close for comfort the Seals entered the water and chased the Great White back out to sea! Who would of thought? this is definitely not what you would’ve expected if all you knew about Great Whites was what the mass media portrayed. I was lucky enough to catch it all on film.
As you move up the east coast and the waters get more tropical you enter what is the most Shark netted place on the planet, Durban city! also home to the Sharks Board which aims to find the best compromise between conservation and bather protection in an effort to promote tourism and ensuring a safe and pleasant experience on Durban’s beaches. So while South African waters are home to Sharks there are measures in place to help prevent, avoid and at worst case scenario respond to any incidents that occur.
Literally the chances of getting attacked by a Shark are so minute and the chances of actually getting killed by a shark would be similar to that of winning the lottery and getting struck by lighting at the same time. I decided to check the google machine for some funny odds that may help put things into perspective.. here’s a few things with a greater chance of killing you than a Shark
- Falling out of bed (It happen’s a lot!)
- Vending Machines (Next time you go to buy a soda, WATCH OUT! They’ll get ya)
- Taking a selfie (I know I’ve been dancing with death on this one!)
- Getting struck by lightening (wild Pikachu’s on the loose)
- Falling Coconuts (delicious but deadly)
- Champagne Corks! (Happy new…. errrr…)
For me Sharks have always been a consideration whenever I’m about to enter the water, but from an educated perspective, using my knowledge and wits to make an informed decision rather than having an irrational fear destroy what I’ve come to love. I do feel that this sense of security I have comes with time in the ocean and the more you’re out there the more aware and comfortable you become in your surroundings. This it what happens for everybody on our trips here. It’s like anything in life, we fear what we don’t know. Well I know surfing, I know this ocean and my love for it will forever outweigh my fear of an attack.
I slapped together this little video of guys on past trips talking about sharks and their concerns therein.
This post isn’t intended to make light of any prior or potential future shark attack but when working in surf tourism in South Africa, especially with foreign clientele, the FEAR of sharks is your own to hold. This is just my perspective on things. The unfortunate truth is that Sharks only ever make headlines for the wrong reasons and they’re in dire need of conservation and our help, but we aren’t made aware of their plight as much as we are of their transgressions and while the idea of encountering a shark in the ocean is an extremely scary thought I feel an even scarier thought is an ocean without any Sharks at all.
Here is a link with some great beach and ocean safety tips as they pertain to Sharks in South Africa
http://sharkspotters.org.za/information/shark-tips
I hope you take a chance on over-coming any fear that maybe holds you back from any of your curiousities, whether it be Surfing, Sky-Diving or even boarding a plane.. go for it, experience it and make your own judgement.
Happy Surfing!
Luke
