A group of swimmers are taking on a 13km challenge to raise funds for Shark Spotters and to raise awareness about the diversity of sharks in the Fish Hoek area.
False Bay, South Africa (17 March 2021) – Shark Spotters work tirelessly to make sure swimmers stay safe in hotspots. A group of people are going to swim in the Fish Hoek shark exclusion net zone to raise funds for the team behind the organisation.
On the 27th of March, a group of enthusiastic swimmers will jump into the Fish Hoek shark exclusion net and swim 13 km inside the exclusion zone, to raise awareness about South Africa’s shark diversity and raise funds for Shark Spotter’s shark safety and conservation activities.
More than 20 different species have been seen in False Bay, of these, 13 species are commonly found here, and they will be the focus of this event.
Each kilometre will represent one of the 13 common shark species found in False Bay, drawing attention to some of the lesser-known, but equally important, sharks that live right on South Africa’s doorstep. Swimming inside the award-winning Fish Hoek shark exclusion net will highlight the ability to live alongside sharks, coexisting in the shared ocean space, rather than resorting to lethal methods to prevent human-shark interactions.
“In the lead up to the event we will be running a #BeSharkSmart campaign on social media, in partnership with the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Education Centre, sharing fascinating facts and insights into the secret lives of these sharks, activities to get the kids interested and involved, as well as tips on how you can help protect sharks in our bay.
On the day of the swim we will be hosting a pop-up education event on the beach, welcoming families to come and learn about sharks in interactive and engaging activities, and win a few prizes too!”
The group plan to raise funds through BackaBuddy. They hope to raise R26,000 which will be used to cover the Shark Spotters shark safety, education, research and conservation activities.
You can sponsor them here. For more about what Shark Spotters does see: www.sharkspotters.org.za