Great white shark spotted in False Bay for first time in eight years – WATCH

Simon’s Town has witnessed a remarkable return to its waters, with a young great white shark spotted at Seal Island for the first time in eight years.

The sub-adult shark was filmed swimming close to an African Shark Eco-Charters boat just north of Seal Island on Wednesday morning, 23 September.

It is the first great white the Simon’s Town-based operator has recorded on one of its Seal Island trips since 2018.

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Major surprise

The unexpected sighting came as a major surprise to the crew.

“It really was a big surprise when our crew spotted a young shark this morning,” said Rob Lawrence, whose company operates shark-cage diving trips from Simon’s Town.

“They have literally vanished and this is the first time we have seen them in eight years,” he added.

Great white returns to Seal Island

Video footage shows the young shark approaching the boat and taking the bait used by the crew.

The bait was attached to a line without a hook, allowing the shark to release itself whenever it chose.

The company shared news of the sighting on social media, describing it as “BREAKING NEWS” and teasing passengers about the possibility of seeing the shark on future trips.

The sighting is particularly significant given the disappearance of great white sharks from parts of False Bay in recent years.

Why did great whites disappear?

False Bay was once well known for its great white shark population, with the animals regularly seen around Seal Island.

One of the major theories surrounding their disappearance involves two orcas, nicknamed Port and Starboard because of their distinctive dorsal fins.

Researchers linked the pair to the deaths of great white sharks in South Africa after several carcasses washed ashore with their livers removed.

Research co-authored by SANParks marine biologist Dr Alison Kock found that the presence of the orcas was associated with major changes in great white shark distribution.

The disappearance of the sharks also had wider ecological consequences, with other shark species moving into areas previously occupied by great whites.

Are great whites coming back?

The latest sighting offers an intriguing sign that great whites could be returning to Seal Island, but it is too early to know whether this represents the beginning of a wider recovery.

A single sighting cannot establish that the population has returned permanently.

However, the appearance of a young great white after years without sightings will provide researchers and shark-tourism operators with valuable evidence to monitor.

For Simon’s Town, the sighting marks the return of a familiar marine predator that has been noticeably absent from the area for years.