A photo of Muizenberg beach on Sunday 23 January 2022. Photo: Twitter / Ricardo Mackenzie
WATCH: Shark!? Shark spotters clear packed Muizenberg beach
It’s absolutely BOILING in Cape Town. Muizenberg beach was completely packed when shark spotters had to clear the beach earlier.
A photo of Muizenberg beach on Sunday 23 January 2022. Photo: Twitter / Ricardo Mackenzie
It’s day two of the latest Western Cape heatwave. With scorching temperatures hitting the mid 40c in parts of the province, it’s no wonder the beaches have been jam-packed. Unfortunately for Muizenberg beachgoers on Sunday, shark spotters were forced to step in after an apparent sighting. This sent hundreds of people out of the water and back into the baking sun.
Surfer spots shark at Muizenberg beach
Chaos broke out on Muizenberg beach at around 14:00. Sirens operated by Shark Spotters began to go off. After the first few seconds of panic and confusion subsided, the spotters began to clear the beach. The Democratic Alliance’s Ricardo Mackenzie was on the beach at the time. He managed to capture and showcase just how busy the beach was. Temperatures were in the early 30c at the time. With next to no wind at all.
TheSouthAfrican reached out to Shark Spotters for comment on the incident. Despite the initial panic, it seems no lives were thankfully in danger. The organisation says that it appears to have been an initial false sighting. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, a drone was able to give the all-clear.
“A surfer reported seeing what they thought was a shark in the water so we cleared the beach as a precaution. The spotter scanned the area and we sent the drone out to look but could not see any shark so we reopened the beach.”
Shark Spotters
Shark Spotters save lives
The Shark Spotters group has been around for some time now. Since the program began in 2004, they have recorded over 2,020 shark sightings on Shark Spotters beaches. In 2022, they have spotted five sharks at Muizenberg beach so far.
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If you are worried about sharks, you can find the spotters at the following Cape beaches.
- Clovelly,
- Fish Hoek
- Monwabisi,
- Noordhoek,
- The Caves,
- Glencairn
- Muizenberg
- St James
