September 2, 2024, 4:12 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
A surfer has just been killed by a shark in Australia. There are also repeated attacks on the coast of South Africa. A new type of protection developed in recent years is being tested there—an electric fence. At the same time, shark spotters are helping to protect holidaymakers from shark attacks.
Dripping wet, Nasief Jaffer climbs out of the waves, his surfboard tucked casually under his arm. The black flag with the white outline of a shark is impossible to miss. When it is hoisted on Muizenberg Beach, it usually means: “Be careful – the observation situation is bad right now,” sharks are difficult to spot. But the 24-year-old is not deterred by the warning. He is going back into the water. “I surf several times a week and trust the shark watchers,” he says. After all, there’s no red flag with a white predatory fish because then it’s “shark alert.”
Nowhere are there more great white sharks than off Cape Town
The Shark Spotters, as they are called in English, have set themselves the task of protecting swimmers and surfers from possible shark attacks on some of Cape Town’s most popular beaches. Among other things, they use a warning system with different colored flags, which they hoist depending on the location. After all, the Atlantic Ocean around Cape Town is home to the world’s largest population of great white sharks. The most dangerous and aggressive of all shark species can grow to more than 20 feet in length and weigh more than 4400 pounds.
The Shark Spotters are on duty for ten hours a day. From hills, they monitor nine popular beaches by scanning the sea for the predatory fish. If they spot one of the animals, they alert a colleague on the beach. The colleague then triggers a siren and raises a white flag with a black shark. “Shark spotted” is the message for bathers and beach visitors. And even if there is a lot of encouragement for the Shark Spotters, they are not immune to human error.
It is difficult to guarantee the safety of all bathers
“It’s a job with a lot of responsibility. It’s quite stressful, especially on days with poor visibility,” says observer Liesel Lott as she scans the water’s surface with binoculars. On a summer weekend, there can be 500 bathers in the water simultaneously. So it’s difficult to ensure everyone’s safety.
What’s more, when it’s summer in the southern hemisphere, as is currently the case, sharks like to hunt in coastal waters. “At this time of year, we expect to see sharks every day,” says Monwabisi Sikweyiya from Shark Spotters. In the past ten years – that’s how long the organization has been around – more than 1700 sharks have been spotted near the beaches of Cape Town. Most of them were great white sharks, some of which swim up to 50 meters from the beach.
South Africa records an average of 6 shark attacks per year
“I didn’t know anything about this,” says Glenda Gordon, a tourist from London who is currently on the beach in Muizenberg. Her travel guide only says something about whales. “I’m definitely not going into the water now,” she says. On average, there are six shark attacks on humans in South Africa every year, according to the nature conservation and research organization Sharks Board. That may not sound like a lot, but every incident causes a stir and triggers fears.
“Shark attacks have a huge impact on tourism,” says Sharks Board’s Head of Research, Geremy Cliff. “Every incident makes for bad headlines and has economic consequences.” On the South African east coast, nets are therefore used to prevent the predatory fish from getting too close to the shore. However, it is not only sharks that become entangled in the nets, where they drown, unable to move; numerous other sea creatures also die in the nets, including dolphins, turtles, and rays.
An electric underwater fence to drive away sharks
Three years ago, scientists from the Sharks Board began developing better protection against sharks. They have created an electric underwater fence that does not harm humans, sharks, or other marine animals. The fence consists of a cable attached to the seabed, from which vertical cables run to the surface. The cables emit low-frequency signals, creating a kind of electric fence that sharks shy away from. After all, their noses are extremely sensitive to electricity. If a person accidentally touches the fence, all they feel is a tingling sensation.
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Fence could be installed worldwide
The researchers are currently testing two prototypes of the electric underwater fence, each 328 feet long, on Glencairn Beach, about 7.5 miles from Muizenberg. A high-resolution camera is filming the bay so that the scientists can see whether the fence is successfully scaring the sharks away. By the end of March, the researchers hope to have collected enough data to prove the reliability of the new protection. “If we are successful, it can be installed worldwide,” says Paul Von Blerk, Project Manager at Sharks Board. The initial results are certainly promising.
And even an intrepid surfer like Nasief Jaffer would be happy about an electric fence: “I would feel much safer.”