The Strandfontein residents are strongly against a proposal to extend the False Bay great white shark change diving operating area closer to shore.
The Strandfontein community was in uproar at a community meeting on 28 September, especially after the fatal shark encounter in Plettenberg Bay, where a woman died.
Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, called for public comment on a proposal to extend the shark cage diving operating area closer to Strandfontein beach in the Western Cape a week earlier. This comes after the great white shark population has dwindled in the Western Cape.
If passed, it will allow for the temporary operating area of shark cage diving inshore, adjacent to Strandfontein beach – permitting operators to work 1.3 to 2.5 km offshore.
‘We cannot allow this type of risk at the expense of these ocean users,’ said Nathan Samuel, a Strandfontien resident who started a petition against the proposal.
‘This area has been utilised for decades by bathers and surfers of the less privileged communities, including Strandfontein, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. Unlike the residents of Fish Hoek, Muizenberg and Noordhoek, there are no lifeguards, let alone shark spotters on these beaches,’ Samuel told IOL.
Picture: Getaway Gallery
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