Tag: fishhoek

Shark Spotter flags and what they mean

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After yesterday’s shark attack in Fishhoek, I listened to a woman who rang into a local radio station saying that she was confused about the flag system used on the beaches of False Bay to warn of shark activity and how she had to look at the signs each time she went to the beach.
“Red doesn’t mean danger,” she complained, amply demonstrating her confusion for the listeners.

It seems that some (re)education is required.
So what exactly do the four flags used by the Shark Spotters programme mean?

Green flag: We can see that there are no sharks around.
Black flag:  We can’t see if there are any sharks around or not.
Red flag: We have recently (ie. within the last 2 hours) spotted a shark.
White flag (and SIREN SOUNDED *hint hint*): There is a shark. Leave the water immediately.

It’s not so difficult really, is it? Especially since this helpful explanation is posted on and around all the local beaches:

As it says on the signs above (and as common sense would surely dictate) – swimming in the ocean is at your own risk. But why not lessen that risk by actually listening to these guys when they tell you to get out (or not to get in)?

Fishhoek Shark Attack 2

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What will the Daily Mail say this time?

Today’s attack took place off Clovelly beach – one of our favourite places to play. Early reports suggest that the victim was a 44 year old male who either ignored warnings not to venture into the water (a shark had been spotted earlier in the morning) or that the siren didn’t sound because of the massive power outage that hit Cape Town today.

In this video taken in the aftermath of the attack, you can clearly see a (the?) shark lazily hanging around off Fishhoek beach.

I’ll update this post when there’s more information to hand.

And here’s the first UPDATE from @animalocean on twitter:

Correcting spreading tweets – The alarm sirens are battery operated and not affected by the power outage.

…which seems like a very good idea.

And then this from reporter Paula Chawles:

according to NSRI the victim was asked personally by life guards not to get into the water because. He ignored them.

Obviously, it doesn’t say beacause of what, but I think it’s safe to assume that it was because there was a massive shark just…*points* just there.

And now a Media Release from the City of Cape Town which tells a slightly different story:

MEDIA RELEASE
NO. 701/ 2011
28 SEPTMBER 2011

At approximately 12:15 today, 28 September 2011, a swimmer was attacked by a great white shark at Clovelly corner on Fish Hoek Beach.

Immediate reports indicate that the victim sustained severe injuries and lost his lower right leg as a result of the attack. He has been airlifted to hospital for treatment.

At 10:45 this morning, the Shark Spotters sighted the shark and closed the beach to users. The White Shark Flag was raised and the siren was set off. When the victim entered the water, the beach was still closed and the shark flag indicating the presence of a white shark was flying. The Shark Spotter stationed on the beach was warned by the Shark Spotter on the mountain that someone had entered the water. The Shark Spotter then ran to Clovelly Corner to try and get the swimmer out of the water, but the attack took place before he could reach him.

The victim of the shark attack was the only person in the water at the time of the attack.

The City’s Emergency Services staff are on the beach providing assistance and the City has closed Fish Hoek beach as well as Glencairn, St. James, and Muizenberg beaches as a precaution. The shark responsible for the attack is still in Fish Hoek bay and is being monitored by the spotters.

The beaches will remain closed until further notice.

It’s perhaps worth noting that the Clovelly corner of Fishhoek beach is a good distance from the Shark Spotters’ station at the South end of the beach and – as far as I am aware – there are no flags nor personnel on duty at the Clovelly end.

THURSDAY: The Daily Mail [remember that disclaimer!]*sigh* tells us he knew the risks:

The 43-year-old is said to have swum regularly at Fish Hoek beach, notorious for great white shark sightings, even telling fellow beachgoers: “If a shark takes me, then blame me, not the shark.”

Witnesses said he parked his car and then walked right past a flag indicating that the beach was closed. At least two people warned him that a shark had been seen, but he strode into the water anyway.

Meanwhile, “Bob” the shark is now on twitter.

Full report by the City of Cape Town here, including the lines:

The victim was known to the Shark Spotters and had previously repeatedly ignored verbal warnings by the spotters to adhere to the shark warnings and beach closures.

The victim’s car was parked in the main parking area at Fish hoek beach indicating that he had accessed the beach from the well signposted area where the shark warning flag was flying.

He had informed the car guards of where his car keys were hidden in the event that something happened to him.

Victim was swimming between the shore and breakers (not behind breakers).

You make your own choices in this life…

Fishhoek view

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Wow. Some party. Drunkenness, loud music, wigs galore.
And this view across Fishhoek bay when you took a little time out in the cool evening air.

There are other photos, of course, most (if not all) of which will mean more to those present on Saturday night. Don’t you hate the way that flash photography makes it look like there’s absolutely no atmosphere? There was plenty. I didn’t even realise that the dance floor was concrete until I looked at the photos. No wonder my feet hurt.
But anyway, you’re more than welcome to go and have a quick look and see if you recognise anyone. This being Cape Town ‘n all. [note: I was going to put a link to my “Cape Town is a very small world” post here, but I cannot find that post, despite searching for all the seemingly relevant terms. Hint: There’s very little point using the words “Cape Town” to search for anything on this blog.]
Scratch that – found it!

Bed at 2, kids awake at 5:45, spend day in soporific stupor (yes, even more so than usual).

Such is the life of a partying parent…

Almost forgot

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Public holidays throw me out. Not throw me out like that wholly unjustified bouncer at Fireman’s last week. Nor as in a piece of rubbish (which again, links in nicely with the Fireman’s episode, because I ended up face first in a wheelie bin).
No. They throw me out because now I think that today is Sunday (it’s not) and tomorrow is Monday (it’s not). This misapprehension will continue through tomorrow (Monday), the day after (Tuesday) and it will be Thursday before I even realise that it is actually Thursday.

I was so thrown out today that I almost forgot to blog.

Yes. That’s what I felt like when I realised.

Typically, it being a Sunday morning (except it’s Monday), we headed down to the beach to give the kids some fresh air and steal some shells. Alex was in the midst of a particularly generous collective of mussels when a completely unexpected wave came after him. The result was the photo above.

Utter tosh

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But it’s not just the SA papers that write complete rubbish.

Step forward our old favourite the Daily Mail – describing the shark attack at Fishhoek.

Fiddling with his swimming goggles as he strolled across one of Cape Town’s most popular beaches, Lloyd Skinner did not notice anything amiss.
With temperatures in the 90s, the sand was packed with families enjoying the delights of the South African summer.
The sea appeared calm – perfect to escape the heat. But as he waded out, something terrible started to happen. A strange ripple effect circled him in the water. On the beach, people started waving their towels and shouting at him desperately.

Hmm. Let’s see what we’ve got so far shall we?

Temperatures in the 90s…

Sand packed with families…

The sea appeared calm…

Have you pictured the scene yet? And the strolling guy with the fiddly goggles?
Got it? Good.

And then let’s take a quick peek at this photo which eyewitness Gregg Coppen (who is quoted in the Daily Mail article) took 4 (four) minutes after witnessing the attack and tweeting his now infamous “Holy Shit” tweet.

Look at that beach, packed with families in the hot summer sun. And that wonderfully calm sea. Hmm.

I showed this to a colleague. He used the word “gobshite” to describe the writer, Andrew Malone.
And who am I to disagree?

There are probably numerous other inaccuracies in the rest of the article – I don’t know. With so much nonsense in the first five lines, I couldn’t be arsed to read any further.