The NSRI spotted a disoriented, possibly sick shark in the Keurbooms River Mouth and has issued a warning of caution to people in Plettenberg Bay.
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa (19 May 2022) – Sharks are pretty cool creatures that have earned a bad reputation because of scary movies. While they are dangerous, they are not man-hungry villains looking to destroy the human race.
Sadly, sometimes sharks make mistakes and do attack a human. So alert systems have been in place for decades to try and keep people out of the water when a shark is present. These include flags placed on popular beaches, sirens and social media alerts.
Recently a shark was spotted in Plettenberg Bay so the NSRI has issued a warning for people in that area to be cautious. Jaco Kruger, NSRI Plettenberg Bay station commander shared a statement in the hopes of keeping the shark safe as well as the public.
The shark was spotted during a routine exercise in the Keurbooms River. The NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew came across a White Shark, approximate length 3.5 meters, in the Keurbooms River, about 300 meters upstream of the Keurbooms River Mouth – about halfway between the river mouth and the N2 bridge.
The team shared that it is unusual to find sharks in the river and that the Marine Scientists, of the South African Shark Incident Committee, suspect that the shark may be ill or disorientated.
The hope is not to stir panic or fear but to just caution the public to be aware that the shark is present and that shark activity will start to increase as the season changes.
“The warning is a precaution to alert the public of the presence of a shark in the Keurbooms River and a reminder that at this time of year sharks are known to feed inshore along the coastline and increased shark activity has been noticed along the Plettenberg Bay coastline.”
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