A Great White shark cruising close inshore interrupted the first day’s proceedings at the Kahuna Surf Series contest for novice surfers at Muizenberg Corner in Cape Town on Saturday, forcing the organisers to halt the event temporarily until the shark moved off.
With four U16 girls competitors in the surf along with approximately 40 recreational surfers enjoying the sunny, offshore conditions at around 1.30 pm, the Shark Spotters, who overlook the popular surf break and had been monitoring the activities of the shark in the crystal clear water for nearly five minutes, raised the alarm when it started to approach the surfers and everyone immediately exited the surf.
The contest was resumed 15 minutes later after the Shark Spotters raised the ‘all clear’ flag as the shark moved offshore again and dozens of recreational surfers also streamed back into the surf.
Great White shark sightings are a common occurrence around the Cape Peninsula during the Spring and early Summer months from September to February – too common according to many ocean users in the area who are calling for the city authorities to do something about a problem that they say has escalated dramatically in the past four or five years.
“We were fortunate that today’s incident took place at Muizenberg which is one of only three venues out of the dozens of popular surf spots on the Peninsula that are staffed by Shark Spotters,” said veteran watersport promoter Paul Botha.
“If it had taken place at Melkbosstrand or Kommetjie, the venues for the next two Kahuna Surf Series events, we would have no warning at all until the shark was amongst the surfers.”
The Kahuna Surf Series is run by Botha’s son Dene, who’s Kahuna Surfing Academy ran the successful attempt on the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers on a single wave’ at the exact same venue three weeks ago.
That event saw 349 surfers enter the lineup for more than hour during which time six waves were ridden with an unofficial count of 73 on one wave, easily surpassing the current record of 44 set in Ireland in May.
The GWR attempt was run in conjunction with a shark debate on the topic ‘Is there a shark problem around the Peninsula and, if so, what can be done about it now’ that was attended by more than 100 interested parties and clearly demonstrated the concerns of ocean users at the deteriorating situation. The whole event was created to raise awareness of the shark situation and to raise funds for the Shark Spotters organisation.
“On the one hand today’s incident is an endorsement of how effective the Shark Spotting program can be where there is a mountain next to the beach to give the spotters the elevation they need to see through the water,” commented Botha.
“But on the other hand it demonstrates just how common these inshore Great White shark incidents are becoming with nearby Fish Hoek bay, which also has Shark Spotters, recording as many as 138 sightings last summer.”
The city’s recently released Draft Shark Safety Strategy promotes the Shark Spotting program as the core of its proposed measures to deal with shark situation and is in the process of expanding the program to other beaches on the Peninsula.
The first of the three popular Kahuna Surf Series events that cater for surfers from U10 to U16 who have not previously featured in the final of a national surfing contest will continue at Muizenberg Corner on Sunday.
The finals in the seven divisions are scheduled to start around 3pm with the winners announced at an awards ceremony at the beach around 4.30pm.
Finalists receive valuable prizes sponsored by a broad range of the country’s top surf and youth brands including Reef Wetsuits, Kustom footwear, Puma sports, Island Style, Palmers surfwax, Cobian sandals, Von Zipper eyewear, Freestyle watches, Zigzag surfing magazine and Lifestyle Surf shop.
The Kahuna Surf Series
Western Province Surfing sanctioned contests for novice surfers
Muizenberg – October 7 & 8
Melkbosstrand – November 4 & 5
Kommetjie – December 9 & 10
Further details on the Kahuna Surf Series are available at www.kahunasurf.co.za <http://www.kahunasurf.co.za/> where the Entry Form can be downloaded.
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