Extended KZN beach closure false alarm

News articles posted on the I Love Durban and Business Day websites on Tuesday October 21 claimed that shark nets along the KZN coast were severely damaged by recent storms and rough seas, leading to the closure of beaches to bathers and surfers due to a fear of shark attacks. The articles said most beaches will remain closed until the end of November and some may remain closed through the festive season, sending shock-waves among those whose livelihood depends on holiday business.

The Courier paid a visit to KZN Sharks Board head of operations, Mike Anderson-Reade to take a deeper look and found these sensational reports to be completely untrue.

“From our point of view life is back to normal in terms of shark safety and we do not anticipate any problems now or over the holiday season,” said Anderson-Reade.

The KZN Sharks Board prepares for bad weather by protecting the equipment but also to limit beach closure.

“We lifted some of the nets in anticipation of high seas to limit damage to the equipment and have reinstated almost all of the nets again. Some nets got tangled up in by the rough waters but nothing out of the ordinary happened. We do not lift all of the nets because if the forecasted storms do not show up and it is a beautiful day then no-one can swim,” he said.

Anderson-Reade said on the Dolphin Coast it is only Thompsons Bay and Zinkwazi beach that are still closed but these should be open again by Friday October 24.