WELCOME BACK: Great white shark spotted in False Bay after eight-year absence
Bold as brass, a lone great white shark made a big splash off the coast of Cape Town on Wednesday, September 23, becoming the first of its species to be sighted and filmed in False Bay in nearly eight years. These sharks disappeared from False Bay, largely because of predation by killer whales with an appetite for shark livers.
On September 23, a great white shark made a surprising appearance off the coast of Cape Town, marking the first sighting of the species in False Bay in nearly eight years. The sub-adult shark was captured on camera by the crew of African Shark Eco-Charters, a licensed shark-diving company operating from Simon's Town. Rob Lawrence, from African Shark Eco-Charters, expressed excitement over the sighting, though he cautioned that it was too early to declare the return of the species to normal.
The disappearance of great whites from False Bay has been attributed to predation by killer whales, particularly two known shark-hunting specialists named Port and Starboard. These events led to the abandonment of traditional aggregation sites by white sharks for over two and a half years. While the appearance of a single young shark does not guarantee a return of the species, it is hoped that larger adults may also make their way back to False Bay.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
