Effective conservation of our natural resources depends on having adequately trained people with the passion and skills necessary to protect our fragile environment. At Shark Spotters, we focus on employing individuals from disadvantaged communities in our operating areas and providing skills development and training opportunities to create “Marine Conservation Ambassadors”. Through this training the team […]
Forget gold, we are all about bronze this season…
The bronze whaler or copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus) may not be a household name for many of us unfamiliar with the lesser known shark species that occur in South Africa’s coastal waters. After all, their reputation does not precede them quite as dramatically as that of the white shark (cue ominous Jaws music), but nevertheless, […]
From Auction to Action – how the Wavescape Artboard Auction has been keeping YOU safe for over a decade
The “Silly Season” is almost upon us, and while most people use the drifting sounds of Boney M and Mariah Carey as a signal that Christmas is near, Cape Town’s surfers have another cue altogether……the Wavescape Surf & Ocean Festival. Running over a full month this year (6 Nov – 6 Dec 2019), what better […]
BulkSMS go for Gold with Shark Spotters!
Shark Spotters are thrilled to announce BulkSMS.com, one of South Africa’s leading bulk SMS messaging service providers, as a Gold level partner following their generous donation of R36,000 towards our sustainable shark safety programme. BulkSMS has been supporting Shark Spotters for close to a decade, providing a fast and effective platform for us to send […]
Successfully balancing water user safety with shark conservation
After 13 years of watching over Cape Town’s most popular beaches, Shark Spotters remains the primary shark safety strategy adopted by the City of Cape Town, promoting beach safety for countless locals and tourists alike. But is the programme keeping on top of its game and achieving its objectives of balancing the needs of people […]
Drone footage of curious bronzie off Fish Hoek beach
Bronze whalers (Carcharhinus brachyurus), or bronzies as they are known locally, are a common species in the coastal and shelf waters around South Africa. They are relatively large, reaching a maximum length of just over 3 metres, and feed on a range of prey, including teleosts, catilaginous fish and cephalopods. They are most frequently seen […]
Five years on
There is nothing false about the sense of security provided by the Fish Hoek beach shark exclusion net. The term “shark net” is used loosely to describe many mesh-based shark attack mitigation measures in place around the world. However, it is important to realise that “not all shark nets are created equally” and in fact […]
Are sharks being attacked by killer whales off Cape Town’s coast?
Large, predatory sharks occupy the top of ocean food chains, where they play important roles in maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems. The loss of these predators can therefore have significant impacts on ecosystems. Photo © Wildestanimal | Shutterstock For a long time broadnose sevengill sharks have occupied the apex of the food chain alongside the more famous […]
Brazen bronzies and cowshark cage dives: what is going on in False Bay?
The 2017/18 summer season yielded an all-time low in the number of white shark sightings recorded by Shark Spotters across Cape Town beaches. Photo © Lars Jockumsen It has been an eerily quiet year on the white shark scene in False Bay, both in the summer months inshore, and over winter at Seal Island. During […]