Project
Shark Spotters
© Photo by Sean Geer
Description
Cape Town is a city of ocean lovers – and great white sharks. But rather than eliminating these beautiful animals, the City has found a way of living with them. Shark Spotters are always on the lookout for sharks and warn beachgoers when one is approaching.
Sarah Waries
Project leader
About the project leader
Growing up in landlocked Nepal I was always passionate about wildlife and conservation, but my interest in the marine environment did not develop until I first came to Cape Town in 2004. After spending time as a research assistant in Zambia and completing a degree in zoology at Southampton University, I came to Cape Town to study the Chacma baboon for my Honours thesis. I fell in love with the area and managed a range of environmental programmes here before starting at Shark Spotters in 2008. Now as the CEO, I am responsible for the management, growth and strategic development...
FORMER PROJECT LEADERAlison Kock
PROJECT LOCATION : Cape Town, South Africa
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Project details
Shark Spotters, South Africa
Key objective
The Shark Spotters programme in Cape Town, South Africa, improves beach safety through both shark warnings and emergency assistance in the event of a shark incident. The programme contributes to research on shark ecology and behaviour, raises public awareness about shark-related issues, and provides employment opportunities and skills development for spotters.
Why is this important
Shark Spotters believe that if they can reduce the already small risk of a shark bite, then they can make a meaningful contribution to white shark conservation, contribute to community well-being, and set a precedent in how people and sharks can co-exist.
Background
Shark Spotters is a pioneering shark safety programme that has attracted international and local attention because of the novel way it seeks to find a solution to potential conflicts between sharks and people. Adopted by the City of Cape Town in 2004 in response to a spate of shark bite incidents and increased shark sightings, Shark Spotters is now the primary shark safety programme used in Cape Town.
Aims & objectives
The aim of Shark Spotters is to keep people and sharks safe. To achieve this, Shark Spotters are positioned at strategic points along the Cape Peninsula, primarily the False Bay coastline, in South Africa. Each spotter is positioned on the mountain with polarised sunglasses and binoculars, and is in radio contact with another spotter on the beach. If a shark is seen the beach spotter sounds a siren and raises a specific colour-coded flag (see diagram below). When the siren sounds the water users are requested to leave the water and only return when the appropriate all-clear signal is given.
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