Be shark-wise!
Sunny weekends at the Cape. There's nothing like it! You can chill on the beach in Clifton....
...watch as the majestic waves pound the rocks on the Atlantic coast side....
...and be struck by the sheer beauty of a 5-metre white shark charging out of the depths...
This sign adorns all the beaches around the Cape. The first time I saw it I couldn't stop laughing. It's so South African. Anywhere else in the world, the presence of a few great whites around the beaches would be toned down. Ok, in Australia there are warning signs. But I doubt they're like this.
"In the event that you get bitten, keep your limb high."
"Most swimmers have in fact, without knowing it, been in close proximity to a shark."
That's reassuring!!!? Especially for the 17-year old lifeguard who yesterday had his foot chopped off by great white chompers at Muizenberg in False Bay round the mountain from where I live.
There are, in fact great whites in the Med. But I've been scuba diving there, and in NO diving books do you see them included among the natural fauna. Same in Florida. A great big Tiger shark on your divers' card is probably not good for business. Here, they signpost them on the beach. Launching out of the sea like the proverbial Kraken.
They just don't care. It's like the cars, and the crime, and the climbing up precipitious mountain sides without any form of security or safety nets. It's your own risk. 'Swim! Just don't blame us if you get bitten - dumbass... Why you swimming in these cold seas anyhow?'
It's a refreshing mindset, for somebody who's grown up in a nanny state. Still, I wouldn't object to a shark net or two around here. I went in to my thighs on sunday, then remembered that most shark attacks happen in knee-deep water and got out again... The water was a bit murky... And I was alone... Just like the poster warned against. Damn signs!
...watch as the majestic waves pound the rocks on the Atlantic coast side....
...and be struck by the sheer beauty of a 5-metre white shark charging out of the depths...
This sign adorns all the beaches around the Cape. The first time I saw it I couldn't stop laughing. It's so South African. Anywhere else in the world, the presence of a few great whites around the beaches would be toned down. Ok, in Australia there are warning signs. But I doubt they're like this.
"In the event that you get bitten, keep your limb high."
"Most swimmers have in fact, without knowing it, been in close proximity to a shark."
That's reassuring!!!? Especially for the 17-year old lifeguard who yesterday had his foot chopped off by great white chompers at Muizenberg in False Bay round the mountain from where I live.
There are, in fact great whites in the Med. But I've been scuba diving there, and in NO diving books do you see them included among the natural fauna. Same in Florida. A great big Tiger shark on your divers' card is probably not good for business. Here, they signpost them on the beach. Launching out of the sea like the proverbial Kraken.
They just don't care. It's like the cars, and the crime, and the climbing up precipitious mountain sides without any form of security or safety nets. It's your own risk. 'Swim! Just don't blame us if you get bitten - dumbass... Why you swimming in these cold seas anyhow?'
It's a refreshing mindset, for somebody who's grown up in a nanny state. Still, I wouldn't object to a shark net or two around here. I went in to my thighs on sunday, then remembered that most shark attacks happen in knee-deep water and got out again... The water was a bit murky... And I was alone... Just like the poster warned against. Damn signs!
posted by Linda at 10:48
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