“Oh, thank goodness…”
In stunning environmental news it was, days ago, revealed that many of South Africa’s picturesque, wave filled bays have been cleared of the most vicious great white sharks by even more vicious serial killer orcas. Great white bodies washed up on shore sans liver or heart. Great white orphans mourning their kin.
Per a study in the African Journal of Marine Science, the great whites have abandoned their normal feeding grounds due fear and discomfort.
During the study, which was carried out over five-and-a-half years, 14 sharks have been tracked fleeing the areas when the orcas are present and visual sightings have dropped dramatically in certain Western Cape Bays.
“Initially, following an orca attack in Gansbaai, individual great white sharks did not appear for weeks or months,” Towner said.
“What we seem to be witnessing though is a large-scale avoidance (rather than a fine-scale) strategy, mirroring what we see used by wild dogs in the Serengeti in Tanzania, in response to increased lion presence.”
The removal of great white sharks will likely cause pressure on the food chain.
Now, of course I know that J-Bay is not a western Cape Bay and you may know that too but great white sharks are not as well-read as us, not really into the African Journal of Marine Science etc. so they might not and may be avoiding it altogether just to be extra safe.
You, of course, recall that J-Bay was site to the most famous single heat in competitive surfing history wherein a great white became tangled in Mick Fanning’s leash as he surfed against Julian Wilson circa 2015. Fanning was physically unscathed and the World Surf League, in its first season, breathed a public sigh of relief. Privately, though, there must have been many high fives and tight shakas for the incident is, by far and away, the most watched and talked about in professional surfing history.
Not that the WSL would like another brush with great white death but… ratings are ratings and that taste of real non-endemic sporting news and news news, oh so sweet. So much better than being endlessly prattled about on surf blogs, even wildly popular ones.
Just one more hit, daddy, with everyone safe, of course.
Please?
