NSRI and Authorities are urging public caution along the Southern Cape coastline following reports of noticeable increased shark activity between Natures Valley and Mossel Bay.
Today, Monday, in the best interests of public safety, as a precautionary measure, beaches in Plettenberg Bay were closed by Bitou municipal authorities due to sightings of increased shark activity close in-shore.
The public are urged to adhere to local Municipal Authority warnings and go to beaches only where and when lifeguards are on duty, obey the lifeguards safety instructions, swim between the red and yellow flags posted by lifeguards. Leave the water if instructed to do so.
NSRI and the emergency services are well prepared to deal with any incidents and NSRI stations carry emergency medical shark kits including on all rescue boats and on NSRI rescue vehicles and NSRI medics are carrying these emergency medical shark kits in their private vehicles in an effort to ensure the quickest response to any incident.
Have emergency phone numbers programmed into your phone: The sea rescue National emergency number 112 (from a cellphone) and the NSRI web page www.nsri.org.za to get local NSRI emergency numbers for emergencies only.
Caution is advised to bathers, divers, paddlers, spear fishermen and anglers to be aware of increased shark activity along the Southern Cape Coastline, between Natures Valley and Mossel Bay, and public caution is advised.
You can familiarise yourself with the colour-coded flag system here:
- A red flag – The most serious of all beach warning flags, red flags warn swimmers of serious hazards in the water. One red flag means that the surf is high or there are dangerous currents, or both. Though you can still swim if there is a red flag, you should use extreme caution and go in the water only if you’re a strong swimmer.
- A green flag means that the spotting conditions are good and no sharks have been seen.
- A black flag means that the spotting conditions are poor, but no sharks have been seen.
- A white flag with a black shark diagram means that a shark is currently near the beach, and beach users must get out of the water. A siren is sounded and the white flag is raised.
