Bathers and surfers were cleared from the water at Muizenberg beach after a shark was spotted close to shore on Friday, November 13.
Beach safety organisation Shark Spotters confirmed that the animal was a bronze whaler shark.
“Muizenberg beach had some interesting visitors this week! While there has still not been any white sharks recorded in False Bay for a long time, we have started seeing large bronze whaler (bronzie) sharks coming very close to shore, following small school of bait fish in shallow water,” Shark Spotters posted on Facebook.
“This bronzie was seen on Friday morning at Surfers Corner and one of our drone pilots, @seferino gelderblom was able to get this awesome footage,” the post continued.
“While bronze whaler sharks do not pose as significant a threat to water users as white sharks, we do still clear the beach as a precaution if they come very close to shore. This is because from the mountain it can be hard to tell the difference between a large bronzie and a smaller white shark, often needing to be confirmed by drone, and so the spotters will always err on the side of caution to ensure the safety of water users.
“Furthermore, the bronzies are often hunting fish close to shore, and while unprovoked bites from bronze whalers are rare, it is inadvisable to be surfing or swimming amongst schools of bait fish with actively hunting sharks in the area.
“So while we still miss the white sharks, and hope for their imminent return, the spotters are being kept on their toes by other large shark species in the area, and it is always a joy to see spectacular sights like this!”
Take a look at the shark checking out the scene in Muizenberg in this video by Seferino Gelderblom for Shark Spotters:
A great white shark was spotted in Gansbaai recently, it was the first sighting since the start of lockdown.
Picture: Screenshot from video by Seferino Gelderblom/Shark Spotters