Liesel’s 20-Year Journey as a Shark Spotter in Muizenberg

Photo Credit: Shark Spotters via Facebook

For nearly 20 years, Liesel Benjamin has stood watch over Muizenberg’s shores, growing from a nervous new spotter into a confident marine advocate whose dedication helps protect people and deepen respect for sharks and the ocean.

Cape Town, South Africa (20 August 2026) – While many people would prefer to keep a safe distance from sharks, Liesel Benjamin goes out of her way to look out for them.

A spotter for Shark Spotters and the primary breadwinner at home, Liesel has dedicated herself to keeping an eye out for sharks in Muizenberg for nearly 20 years. Over that time, she has grown into her role with a strong sense of certainty about who she is as a spotter and pride in how far she has come.

She has fuzzy memories of her first sighting during a Muizenberg lookout, when she was alone and initially unsure whether she had spotted a shark. An experienced spotter later confirmed that she had indeed seen one.

Other early highlights included the frenzy and attention that followed a beach closure after a shark sighting. Tourists and locals alike would flock to the lookout point, asking what shark had been sighted and how the whole process worked whenever the siren sounded.

“I was so nervous speaking to people and answering questions. After a while, you do it with closed eyes,” Liesel reflects.

There is a deep love and fondness for Muizenberg in Liesel’s recollections, much of it rooted in the beauty of the bay during her early years. She notes that the weather and water conditions used to be more pleasant and clearer, making it easier to spot a white shark.

“Our datasheets didn’t have enough space for all the sharks we would see at once. I felt sorry for the beach spotter who had to run up and down to change the flags,” she says.

Aside from Muizenberg’s natural beauty, the public has also played a role in helping her reflect positively on a journey that will mark 20 years next month. As a female spotter stationed alone at the top of a mountain with some foot traffic, safety could have been a concern. However, Liesel says she was never made to feel unsafe.

She does, however, mention that her male colleagues were often approached instead of her, as the public did not always perceive her as a spotter at first.

“They would approach the men when we were working in pairs. But I am the spotter here,” Liesel affirms, noting that things have changed for the better over time.

Her confidence in engaging with the public, her care for the ocean and sharks, and her decades of experience have made Liesel a marine advocate. She welcomes and enjoys any opportunity to educate people and children about the environmental importance of sharks, to help change negative perceptions of them, and to share practical safety tips.

Shark Spotters improves beach safety by applying innovative and responsible shark safety solutions that reduce the spatial overlap between people and sharks, thereby reducing the risk of a shark bite. Liesel plays a vital part in this work, helping protect beachgoers while fostering greater respect for the ocean and the remarkable creatures that call it home.