Donate to Cape Town Shark Spotters

Cape Town's False Bay coastline sees an a steady increase in the population of Great Whites to the shores during the Cape Town Summer season (Oct - Apr). This is the time of year when these Apex predators take to the shores of the False Bay Coastline in search of food, which consists mainly of seals. The Summer season is also our peak tourist season which means visitors need to be extra vigilant when swimming at one of the False Bay beaches (Fish Hoek, Dangers, Kalk Bay, Muizenberg, Glencairn and even Noordhoek). Tourists in Cape Town seem to be blissfully unaware of our Shark warning systems (a siren goes off when a shark is spotted). If you hear the siren, get out the water.

To further educate our tourists and increase awareness, the Cape Town Shark Spotter program needs donations. With the sponsorship they do have, they're doing a sterling job protecting the beaches of False Bay. The Shark Spotter initiative has proven to be paramount to beachgoers' safety which means we need to sponsor this initiative even further.

The False Bay coastline is notorious for Great White Sharks, so our shark spotters patrol the beaches and watch for Shark activity from the mountain. They use a radio system to notify the spotters on the beach and a siren is sounded. When you hear the siren you need to get out of the water. A flag is raised. Do not get back into the water until you're given the go ahead.

Fish Hoek Beach in particular has a high activity of Sharks. The beach has a shelf, meaning it gets deep very quickly. Sharks can cruise the coastline fairly closely. I never feel 100 % safe at Fish Hoek. At Muizenberg the sharks tend to only really cruise the back line-up so it's generally a better option than Fish Hoek. Don't fear the water - just be aware.



Tips for avoiding "Bruce":

1. If you're surfing along the False Bay coastline - stay close to shore and to other people. Sharks tend to frequent the False Bay coastline as the water is warmer. The Atlantic Seaboard there are far fewer sightings and Great Whites are not know to frequent that area.

2. Look at the flag that is flying when you're on the beach. Each beach that has a flag also has a corresponding board detailing what eat flag means. Green is normally when it's the safest to swim and surf. It means the shark spotters can easily spot a shark as the visibility of the ocean is crystal clear. The black flag means you are taking more of a risk as the conditions are a bit rough and they may not be able to spot a shark.

3. Don't get in the water if you're menstruating or bleeding. Try not to pee in the water either.

Below is our current flag system:



Click here to find out more information about Great White Sharks and Eco-Tourism
To donate to the Shark Spotters of Cape Town click here

Just remember, you enter the sea at your own risk. This is their domain and you're in their home. Be vigilant , respectful and adhere to shark warning systems in place. If you see a shark, don't stop and say Haai, just get out the water.