At first light, men in orange suits motor out to sea to make sure the men in grey suits do not visit the girls in bikinis.
For the past 50 years, KZN Sharks Board employees have been dedicating their lives to making our beach safety their priority.
Ballito supervisor, Pete Streicher is a long standing orange suit and knows this job is not for sissies or late sleepers.
“We are on call 24/7. In summer, we hit the water around 3.30am, while in winter we leave around 5am. You have to love the sea and know it well to do this job,” said Streicher, who has been with the KZN Sharks Board for 27 years.
Streicher is proud to be part of this one of a kind organisation.
“No other organisation has people dedicated to bathing safety through shark nets and hopefully soon drumlines.”
He said Ballito especially needs safe bathing beaches, because it is such a tourism driven town.
Streicher and his team go out almost everyday, weather permitting, to check the nets and make sure they are in good working order.
“My guys are top class. We trust each other, which is crucial in our work.”
Two of these guys are Fortune Mthembu and Musa Zulu.
Mthembu said being on the boat for the past ten years has been a dream come true.
“I used to watch the Sharks Board boat go out and I always wanted to know what they see out there.”
He said he has experienced moments at sea that most people could not even imagine.
“The best experience of my life was when I saw a big shark up close for the first time. We caught him, tagged him and let him go again. It was amazing and I was so happy to release him and watch him swim away.”
All sharks caught in the nets are released.
Mthembu said although they love the sea and all its creatures, they never lose respect for it.
Zulu agreed and said he loves going out, even though he is always a bit scared when they launch the boat, crashing through the waves and the shore break.
“I am not scared of the sharks, but I do not like the big waves,” he said with a chuckle.
Mthembu and Zulu said their family, friends and communities are interested in their jobs and always want to know what they saw out there.
“The community always asks us questions about what we do and what the animals look like. All my friends want my job,” said Zulu, who has been with the Sharks Board since 2009.
The guys only spend time at home over the weekends, as they live at the base camp in Umhlali during the week.
“I miss my wife, Lerato and son, Nkanyiso who live in Etete, but it makes the weekends even better,” said Mthembu.
The orange suits are dedicated to keeping the sea safe for us to enjoy, while also looking out for the grey suits and the rest of their undersea friends.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
