Safety Advice for Beach Goers this Summer

Posted Tue, 11 Jan 2011 (17 months ago)

Following two recent incidents on my local beach (Fish Hoek) I thought it worth writing a blog post on being wise on the beach this summer.

Although we’re in the last full week of the school holidays our wonderful South African weather will be no doubt continue luring people to the beautiful beaches all around the coast, so I hope the following will give you pause for thought and that we can all enjoy the sea, sand and sun without getting into trouble.

The first incident involved the Sharkspotters who do a fantastic job scanning the waters for sharks at a number of Cape Town beaches (read more about what they do here). Last week two whales were spotted just off Jager’s Walk which runs along the water at Fish Hoek beach. Shortly thereafter the shark warning siren was sounded – when this happens the public are required to leave the water. A white shark flag is hoisted to indicate that a shark has been sighted. After the shark has moved on a red flag is then hoisted to let those just arriving at the beach know that one was recently spotted in the water.

Now because the whales had been seen by a number of people, word got around that the Sharkspotters had mistaken the whales for sharks and therefore members of the public, thinking they knew better than the trained Sharkspotters, chose to ignore the siren and flags.

But in fact a 5 metre shark HAD been spotted by the Sharkspotters.

According to Alan Lindner of A Whale of a Heritage Route, Alison Kock of Save Our Seas sent him the following email in response to this series of events:

"I have spent a lot of time with the Spotters at the sites, including Fish Hoek when sharks, whales, dolphins, seals and fish have been sighted and can confidently say that they would not mistake a whale (or dolphin) for a shark! If the spotter said he saw a shark then people should trust that he saw a shark and respond accordingly...I just want to say that it was very unwise for the swimmers to continue with their swim under these conditions i.e. the shark alert, recent sightings in the area and other indications of high marine animal life which may indicate shark presence too. Hopefully the swimmers at least stayed in shallow water!".

Later that same day Alison added

"We have now had five shark sightings by Spotters today (2 Fish Hoek, 2 Muizenberg, 1 St. James) as well as a sighting by NSRI at Long Beach Simonstown. The Glencairn spotter has reported dolphins and birds feasting on a bait ball in the area. We are issuing a general caution through the media".

The second incident was over the weekend when a 30 year old man drowned at Fish Hoek beach.

This was on one of the very hot days we experienced and the entire beach was packed from Fish Hoek to Clovelly. According to reports on Cape Talk radio, the life guards on duty walked up and down the beach asking people to please only swim between the flags. This was due to the fact that with so many people in the water they were unable to watch the areas past the flags and was in the interest of the swimmers’ safety.

Instead of being grateful, some members of the public reportedly told the life guards that they had been swimming at that beach for many years and didn’t need to be told where they could and couldn’t swim.

Is it really that difficult to help the people who work tirelessly to keep us safe? Why fight them instead of co-operating?

Instead of thinking you know more than those who have been trained in their fields why not work together to make their job easier.

And it doesn’t hurt to be polite and friendly while you’re at it!

7 Responses to Safety Advice for Beach Goers this Summer

Hello Ms Alison Kock

"Although your spotters are doing some sort of good toward warning
False Bay surf-recreationists that "sharks" are around whenever they
are actually able to 'spot' them!, I have a problem justifying your
'spotters' existence because I've noticed that they elect to hoist
their (safety-first?) black flag (ie your bad-visibilty flag) smartly
most of the time, simply because it's impossible for them to see
anything in the early morning sun-glare or when there's a vicious
south-easterly chop or where murky-water or overhead cloudy conditions
prevail?

So all your effort being put into fund-raising missions to sustain an
unnecessary '50/50-effective' shark-spotter programme, is, to my mind,
a bit of a waste - what with William Simpson-sponsored bakkies zipping
around all-over the place to get sponsors-paid spotters to their
observational-perches so that they can set-off the dreaded siren,
(almost) at the drop of a hat, when quite frankly, all the 'hot-spots'
already have duty-squads of qualified (voluntary)surf-lifeguards
and/or patrolling NSRI IRB's personnell on hand to do the real
professional 'shark-spotting' for us anyway?

The lifesaving clubs' members are really the heroes & commendable ones
who are charged with clearing the surf of bathers and who patrol the
waveline in their 'rubber-ducks' and are the officers who anchor and
maintain the costly protective shark-shield safety-cordons to keep
bathers & clubs' training and competition-active members...(and the
general public!) 'safe' in the water - not your ineffectual
shark-spotters!

The Cape Town City Council is already 'paying' Western Province
Lifesaving's (WPL) qualified club (voluntary) lifeguard duty-squads at
all your 'shark-spotter' beaches anyway - 7 days a week, right up to
30th April 2011 - to keep our shark-sensitive beaches safe, so they
(ie the lifeguards + NSRI) would logically be the best-placed
organisation to do your shark-spotting for you as well!

In the circumstances I'm suggesting you plough your 'Shark Spotter'
resources into WPL's all encompassing clubs'water-safety programme
immediately. [If your shark-spotters can't pass the Lifeguard Award
exam, they don't honestly deserve to be appointed as 'shark-spotters',
do they?]

Godfrey Mockè
'Swimsafe' Project Manager.
My Mobile:- +27 73 154 7458;
My landline: +27 21 782 9958.

By Godfrey Mockè (17 months ago)

I am presuming that Mr Mocke has spent sufficient time at all of the shark spotters observation posts to be able to make his accusations with any degree of certainty.

My daughter is involved with the FHSLC Nippers, therefore we spend a lot of time on the beach. We also run the nipper parents 'volunteer spotters'. We are parents who do duty at the Fish Hoek observation post whenever our children are in the water. We spend a lot of time with the spotters, and the club works closely with them to co-ordinate the setting out of the shark shields and to monitor the shark activity at Fish Hoek Beach. The lifeguards are also in radio contact with the spotters on the mountain. It stands to reason therefore, that any praise that is extended to the lifeguards and the club ought to encompass the spotters, as the one relies on the other in order to work effectively.

Ms Kock, and the spotters provide an invaluable service, that, as a parent and beachgoer, I for one, am grateful for. It saddens me that Mr Mocke is going to be one of the first voices to be raised in condemnation when another swimmer is attacked, either due to ignorance or arrogance.

So, as it is clear he is far better suited to take over the entire organisation, because obviously no one can do quite the job he can, I suggest he puts his words into action and, instead of sitting behind his Swimsafe Project Manager's desk, Why don't you get out there Mr Mocke, and make a difference, instead of belittling those who are making the effort, however misguided in your sad opinion?

By karin (17 months ago)

"
the heroes & commendable ones who are charged with clearing the surf of bathers and who patrol the waveline in their 'rubber-ducks' and are the officers who anchor and
maintain the costly protective shark-shield safety-cordons to keep bathers & clubs' training and competition-active members...(and the general public!) 'safe' in the water

"

Um... How often does that actually happen? Why dont these "heroes" work the same long hours as the shark spotters: put the shields up 7 days a week and patrol the waveline in their rubber ducks 7 days a week. Why dont they set up a website with regular sighting updates and keep the community informed and educated about the shark activity, like the shark spotters do.

Perhaps if they did 1/2 of what is already being done then we can consider them 'commendable ones'.

By Jolene (16 months ago)

I'm with karin here: Where is the harm in having a secondary system in place if the two of them can work together?
If Geoffrey's "heroes" take cognisance of the shark-spotters and their warnings, doesn't that lend them a certain amount of creditability in his eyes?

By 6000 (16 months ago)

I'm curious. A shark spotter up on the hill working longer hours than what lifesavers are on duty with a better and further view vs lifeguards on a rubberduck patroling the surfline during a fraction of their duty time at water level. Who will see the shark first? I would much rather put my money on the shark spotters.

Mr Mocke states that "If your shark-spotters can't pass the Lifeguard Award exam, they don't honestly deserve to be appointed as 'shark-spotters',do they?" is ignorant of what they do. Shark spotters aren't life guards pulling people out the water when they are in trouble. Thats the job of a life guard. Shark spotters ... are on the lookout and spot sharks. DUH!!!

As for their sponsors, it seems that Mr Mocke is a case of sour grapes because the shark spotters are capable of attracting their own corporate sponsors.

The shark spotters does a great job under tough conditions just like the good folk at the NSRI and the lifeguards do, so to ditch them like Mr Mocke does is totally uncalled for. Just my 5c worth.

By Firefly (16 months ago)

Muizenberg wants the Sharkspotters AND the Lifesavers. Please. The Sharkspotters help with peace of mind, apart from their actual service provided.
At Muizenberg the Lifesavers are seasonal, sadly. There are good reasons.
It is unfortunate that every ocean user is forced into a small area by the Lifesavers. The number of ocean users has risen dramatically and the area provided is far too small. It's getting dangerous for us because of overcrowding.
The Lifesavers do come across as being cowboys in the water, unfortunately.
This does not diminish their contributions, however.

Right.

Let the flamewar begin! :D

Regards and thanks.

Dave

By Dave Jones (16 months ago)

If people choose to ignore life guards and shark spotters then they deserve whatever happens to them-i have no sympathy!The shark spotters do a fantastic job,there have been a few times they have gotten my son out of the water while surfing because of a shark swimming by!!!!I am most gratefull and support them one hundred percent!!!!!!We in the Cape are so lucky to have a programme like this,no other province has it!!!!

By kari (16 months ago)