WATCH Surfers and Swimmers Have Close Call with Shark in Kogel Bay, South Africa

A couple of surfers and some swimmers in South Africa have obliviously had a very close call with a shark! In a video, posted on Twitter yesterday and shared on WhatsApp, the shark can be seen approaching them, and getting incredibly close – swimming directly towards them – before drifting away.

The surfers, paddling on their boards, and swimmers standing in the water appear blissfully unaware that they were so close to the shark. (Some viewers say there’s another smaller shark further out as well, and as many have pointed out, the shark was probably looking for fish, not humans!)

It’s not certain where or when the video was filmed, although many viewers said it was yesterday and have identified it as popular surf spot, Caves, which is part of Kogelbaai beach and nature reserve.

The area is renowned for its sharks during the summer months. Spectacular drone footage – showing 10 sharks – was shared on YouTube last year (watch below). And just under ten years ago (April 2012), South African bodyboarder David Lilienfeld was tragically killed by a white shark in the area. Sharkspotters are subsequently normally on duty at this beautiful spot which is popular with surfers, swimmers and picnickers. Sharkspotters have apparently identified this particular shark as a juvenile bronze whaler which means it’s not aggressive towards humans and would only have been looking for fish.

The video was uploaded to Twitter by Greg Davies who said “Shark tank” and tagged billionaire businessman Johann Rupert.

The 1.9km sandy beach of Kogelbay is situated on Clarence Drive in Gordon’s Bay.

There is a black flag seen in the foreground at the start of the video, which usually means the conditions are poor for shark spotting.

Shark 🦈 tank ⁦@cutmaker⁩ pic.twitter.com/vqFF3s9LbZ

— Greg Davies (@the_gregdavies) January 18, 2022

WATCH DRONE FOOTAGE OF 10 SHARKS IN THE LINE UP AT KOGEL BAY, 2 SURFERS, 15 MARCH 2021

Iain Campbell uploaded this video last year saying: “Yesterday was absolutely insane. We were able to see these sharks chasing fish and bait around the back of the line up that I am used to surfing every week. Although this is scary, at the same time it is good to see the ocean life thriving during the times where we have seen a drop in shark activity in these part.”

If you are new to South African beaches, please make sure you know the flag system and what each flag means before entering the ocean. Check here.