Shark alert as sardine run draws predators

Archivo adjunto 4465
THE annual sardine run, in which enormous shoals of the tiny fish, followed by feeding shad, sharks, dolphins and diving birds move up the East Cape coast to Durban, has hit East London, where dramatic shark sightings and closed beaches caused ripples of alarm this week.

Surfers, lifeguards and fisherman have spotted more shark activity than usual and warned those using the sea to be careful.

It is especially important to look out for diving birds which signal underwater feeding frenzies by hundreds of predators, the experts warned.

Former South African No 1 surfer Greg Emslie said he was being extra watchful in the water, following a white-knuckle brush with a great white at Queensberry Bay recently.

“It circled me for about three minutes and I just sat there and watched it. It would have gone for me if I’d moved. It was scary. I’m sure it was part of the sardine run,” he said.

Like other surfers, Emslie said he stayed out of the sea at times he considers to be risky.

“Stay out of the water between 10am and 3pm. All attacks seem to be then. Midday seems to be a great time for great whites. It’s their lunch-time.”

Other surfers cautioned that early mornings and evenings were more likely to lead to unwelcome shark encounters.

“Dawnies and duskies are not a good idea,” said Eric Scheepers, who has seen teeming “bait balls” of sardine at Yellowsands in the last few days.

“It is an amazing sight – whales blowing, dolphins swimming, fish like yellowtail and Cape snoek jumping clean out of the water and birds going crazy.”

Fisherman and surfer Nick Pike said he had been taking advantage of the well-stocked ocean at Nahoon Reef rocks a few days ago when “a shark launched right out of the water”.

“I have been surfing for 35 years and I know a dolphin when I see one. This was no dolphin. It just came firing out of the water.”

Pike, who is also a dedicated surfer, said he “prays a lot” when he surfs at sardine run time. But his top tip is to keep body fluids out of the water.

“Don’t pee in your wetsuit anymore and if you get cut and are bleeding get out of the water. Sharks are attracted by body fluids.”

A lifeguard said Nahoon Beach had been closed on Sunday and Monday after shark sightings on both days.

“It’s the most marine activity I’ve seen in a long time. In the last three years we’ve barely even seen the shad, but this week there was feeding on anchovies and sardines and I also saw the biggest pod of dolphins I have seen this year – they were feeding in the shallows. The whole horizon was a mass of birds diving.”

Springbok surfer Devyn Matthys said he was limiting himself to shorter surfing sessions now that the sardine run was in full swing.

“Also we are all surfing in groups – the more the merrier at the moment. I have seen a lot of dolphins and the sardines have been closer in (to the shore) this year.”

Surfer Dean Knox said most surfers became “skittish” at this time of year.

“It’s a dodgy time of year to surf on your own. A few days ago a guy I was surfing near was paddling into a wave when he saw a shark breaching out of the water and a few minutes later the lifeguards closed the beach and put a shark flag up.”

Cape Town surfer Dion Rolfes said although he “felt apprehensive” being in Eastern Cape waters during the sardine run, he was “minimising risk” by sticking close to surfers wearing shark shields.

Shark shield owner Roger Smith said he was suddenly very popular in the water. “The guys climb onto my shoulder to be near to me and my shark shield,” he quipped.

Smith said he had seen whales “leaping” and huge amounts of shad in the sea. “I saw a huge shark like a mini submarine in a wave at Nahoon Reef.

“The worst time is actually when they all come back down the coastline in July, but the shark shield makes me feel a lot safer.”