Sharks seen at three St Francis beaches today – update

A shark was spotted at Hulett’s beach, St Francis Bay, this morning and at Cape St Francis  beach. A shark was also spotted at 5.10 pm today at Anne Avenue.

Kouga law enforcement officers closed the St Francis Bay main beach and Cape St Francis beach for 90 minutes this morning. This evening at 5.20 three guys on the back of a small truck shouted and waved their arms frantically to alert some swimmers still in the water when the shark was spotted at Anne Avenue.

Their persistent waves and shouts led to  the swimmers hastily leaving the water. Among these swimmers were some locals who were about 200 metres from the shark. At 5.30 pm everyone had been evacuated out of the water at Anne Avenue beach.

There was a crowd of onlookers  at Anne Avenue beach  this evening watching the shark that was visible for some time before a boat approached right up to it, making it decide to disappear beneath the waves. It was too far out for St Francis Chronicle  to get a good photograph but it appeared to be a big shark.

This morning Adam Floors, senior law enforcement officer, and Danie Ruiters, lifeguard supervisor, went to St Francis Bay at about 11.30 to follow-up on a shark sighting reported by the NSRI.

A while later reports came in about the sighting of a shark at Cape St Francis as well. After consulting with the NSRI, the officers closed the swimming beaches in St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis . According to witnesses in Cape St Francis, law enforcement officers raced down to the tiny village with sirens blaring.

The officers did not find a shark at Hulett’s or Cape St Francis beach. It’s speculated by some that the shark at Hulett’s beach and at Anne Avenue today could be the same one.

According to research and statistics kept, shark attacks in St Francis have been rare during the area’s short 57 year-old history, but they have occurred.

See latest post on 13 January 2012:

http://stfrancischronicle.com/2012/01/13/chumming-and-cutting-off-shark-lures-sharks-to-st-francis-bay/

See related post: 

http://stfrancischronicle.com/2011/11/17/shark-attacks-rare-in-st-francis-bay/

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