Sharks are part of what makes the South African coast so wild and so alive, and every surfer who paddles out here shares the water with them. Most of us will surf for a lifetime without a close encounter, but serious incidents do happen, and they tend to follow patterns. Good shark safety for surfers is not about fear. It is about understanding which sharks live here, how the country's safety programmes work, which conditions raise the risk and what to do if something goes wrong. Here are the facts.
Which sharks share our waters?
South Africa's waters are home to many shark species, most of which pose no threat to people. The KZN Sharks Board identifies three species as responsible for most attacks on the coast:
- Great white shark. Found mainly along the Western and Eastern Cape coasts, often near seal colonies. In False Bay, Shark Spotters records most of its sightings in summer, when white sharks patrol close to the shore.
- Bull shark (Zambezi shark). A warm-water species that is comfortable in murky water and can travel into river mouths and estuaries.
- Tiger shark. A large warm-water predator found off KwaZulu-Natal and further north.
Keeping things in proportion matters. For swimmers and surfers, drowning is a far more common danger than sharks, which is why learning to spot and escape rip currents is the first safety skill every beachgoer should have.
How South Africa's shark safety programmes work
Two very different systems protect our busiest beaches: spotters and an exclusion net in the Western Cape, and nets with drumlines in KwaZulu-Natal.
Shark Spotters: Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay
Shark Spotters began informally at Muizenberg in 2004, after a spate of shark bites and more sightings close to popular beaches, and became a registered non-profit in 2005. Spotters sit on high ground above the beach, usually the mountainside, with polarised sunglasses and binoculars, and scan the water continuously. When a spotter sees a shark, they alert the beach spotter, who sounds a siren and raises a warning flag so people can leave the water.
At Fish Hoek, Shark Spotters runs an exclusion net that has operated since March 2013. It forms a complete barrier from the surface to the sea floor around the bathing area, is put out and brought in daily, and is designed as a non-lethal way to keep sharks out. In November 2022, after two fatal shark bites in Plettenberg Bay within three months, the programme expanded to Plett, where it now covers five beaches.
Shark Spotters is clear that it is an advisory service: it cannot guarantee anyone's safety, and using the ocean remains at your own risk.
The KZN Sharks Board: nets and drumlines
Durban installed its first shark nets in 1952, and the Natal Anti-Shark Measures Board, renamed the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board in 2008, was formed in 1964 to protect the rest of the coast. Today it maintains bather protection at 37 beaches between Richards Bay and Mzamba, using nets and baited drumlines.
Each net is about 214 metres long and 6 metres deep, set roughly 400 metres offshore in 10 to 14 metres of water. Crucially, the nets are not a wall: sharks can swim over, under and around them. They work by reducing the number of sharks near protected beaches, which lowers the chance of an encounter. Crews service the gear on weekdays, weather permitting, and nets are removed at many beaches during the annual sardine run to reduce the number of sharks and dolphins caught. The Sharks Board has also replaced many nets with drumlines to cut bycatch of whales, dolphins and turtles.
| Programme | Where | How it works | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shark Spotters | Cape Town beaches, mainly False Bay, and five beaches in Plett | Spotters on high ground, flags and a siren | Check the flag and surf during spotting hours |
| Fish Hoek exclusion net | Fish Hoek beach | A complete, non-lethal barrier around the bathing area, set daily | Swim inside the net when it is deployed |
| KZN Sharks Board | 37 beaches from Richards Bay to Mzamba | Nets and drumlines that reduce shark numbers nearby | Swim and surf at protected beaches, and heed closures |
Reading the Shark Spotters flags
Every Shark Spotters beach uses a system of four flags. Learn them before you paddle out:
- Two flags show spotting conditions: one for good visibility and one for poor visibility, when the spotters may not see a shark in time.
- The red flag means high shark alert. A shark has recently been seen in the area, or activity is high. Think carefully about going in.
- The white flag with a black shark, with the siren, means a shark is in the area. Leave the water immediately and calmly.
- No flag means no spotter is on duty. You are on your own, so make your decision accordingly.
Shark Spotters also encourages surfers to talk to the spotters before going in; they know what has been seen that day. If you surf at Muizenberg, the beach spotter is the person to ask.
Conditions that raise the risk
Most of the official advice comes down to avoiding the situations where sharks are hunting or where they cannot see you clearly:
- Murky water, including river mouths after heavy rain, which also attract bull sharks in the warmer parts of the country.
- Darkness and low light. Shark Spotters advises avoiding the twilight hours, when sharks rely less on sight.
- Feeding activity. Stay away from shoals of baitfish, diving seabirds and feeding dolphins.
- Seals and seal colonies, which are white shark territory.
- Fishing activity. Give anglers and spearfishers a wide berth, and never surf near anyone cleaning fish in the water.
- The sardine run. From roughly May to July, shoals of sardines move up the east coast, followed by dolphins, seabirds and sharks.
Everyday shark safety habits for surfers
- Choose protected beaches when you can. Surf where there are spotters, lifeguards or nets, during their hours of operation.
- Surf with others. Shark Spotters' first piece of advice for all water users is to stay in a group.
- Watch the water and the wildlife. Diving birds, nervous seals or bait boiling on the surface are reasons to move.
- Know the local information. Ask lifeguards, spotters or locals about recent sightings before you paddle out.
- Consider a personal deterrent. Some surfers use electronic deterrents, and Shark Spotters lists them as an option. The KZN Sharks Board developed the pulsed electrical technology behind the Shark Shield device in the 1990s. No device can guarantee your safety.
- Know your first aid. A first-aid course is one of the most useful things a surfer can do, whatever the hazard.
Shark safety myths worth dropping
- "Dolphins mean there are no sharks around." Not true. During the sardine run, dolphins and sharks feed on the same shoals, often side by side.
- "The nets make the water shark-proof." They don't. The KZN Sharks Board is explicit that sharks can pass over, under and around the nets; they reduce the odds rather than remove them. Only a full exclusion barrier, like the one at Fish Hoek, keeps sharks out of an area.
- "No siren means no sharks." Spotters can only report what they can see, and visibility changes with light, wind and water clarity. That is why one of the flags exists to tell you when spotting conditions are poor.
- "Experienced surfers don't need to worry." Experience helps you read the water and the wildlife, but the same habits apply to everyone, from grommets to old salts.
If you see a shark
Stay calm. Shark Spotters notes that panicked, splashy movements may attract a shark's attention. Keep your board between you and the shark, alert the people around you calmly, and paddle smoothly and steadily towards the shore. Once you are out, tell the lifeguards or spotters what you saw and where.
The best-known encounter in J-Bay's history shows how fast things can unfold, and how much a good water patrol matters. When a shark knocked Mick Fanning off his board in the 2015 J-Bay Open final, the water-safety crew pulled him out within moments, and he was unhurt. Our history of the J-Bay Open tells the full story.
If the worst happens: first aid on the beach
- Call for help at once. Dial 112 from a mobile or the NSRI emergency number, 087 094 9774, and send someone to alert the lifeguards.
- Get the person out of the water with help, then lay them down on the sand.
- Stop the bleeding. Apply firm, direct pressure to the wound with whatever is to hand. For severe bleeding from a limb, a tourniquet tied tightly above the wound can save a life; a surf leash can do the job in an emergency. Note the time you applied it.
- Keep them warm and still, reassure them and do not give them anything to eat or drink.
On remote stretches of coast, help can be a long way off. Before a trip, find the nearest sea-rescue station with the base finder on the NSRI website, save the emergency numbers in your phone and tell someone where you are surfing.
Every surf car should carry a basic first-aid kit. Our free Ultimate Surf Trip Packing Checklist includes a first-aid and sun list worth printing.
The shark safety basics fit on a sticker: surf protected beaches when you can, read the flags, stay in a group, avoid murky water, low light and feeding activity, and know your first aid. Respect for the ocean and everything that lives in it is one of the values behind JBay Waves, from these guides to the tees we print. Stay informed, look after each other and keep surfing.
