Sharks and sewerage change the tides of tourism this December

From sharks in Plettenberg Bay to high E. coli levels in Umhlanga, popular seaside destinations are working around the clock to ensure that their beaches are open for bathing this holiday season.

First it was the COVID-19 epidemic, now it’s contaminated water in Umhlanga and sharks, says Ashleigh Elad of Ask Ashleigh, which specialises in timeshare sales and rentals, speaking of the challenges she’s facing as December approaches. “The resorts in these towns are taking every precaution to accommodate their guests. They’re not ignoring the situation, but I’d say it does have a huge impact on tourism.”

“There are ways to adapt your holiday though,” she says. “The kids are so well entertained at Umhlanga Sands, Cabana Beach, and at the Breakers Resort. So, though the beach challenges do have an impact, they’re not enough to change your holiday plans.”

Plett’s Beacon Isle Hotel remains a hot property for the upcoming holiday season. Having recently returned home to Cape Town after a week-long stay at the hotel, Adam Green says he and his family had a wonderful time.

“I know there were some cancellations because of the sharks, but we never considered that,” he says. “Swimming in the sea was banned at all Plett beaches but the hotel has a great pool, so it wasn’t an issue for us. We were able to use and walk on the beaches, there was just no entering the sea. Plett has so much else to offer but I think you would at least need access to a pool if swimming in the sea is still banned in December.”

Yet, says Jaco Kruger, the chairperson of the Plett Shark Action Group (PSAG) and Station Commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute Plettenberg Bay, some beaches have already been opened for swimming, depending on sightings. Others will follow suit under new shark safety protocols. The shark alert comes after two tragic shark deaths in Plett this year – of Jewish stockbroker Bruce Wolov in July, and restaurateur and humanitarian Kimon Bisogno in September. Following Bisogno’s death, beaches were closed, and shark surveillance boosted. The PSAG counted 12 great white sharks on the Plett coastline following an aerial survey in early October.

Great white sharks in Plett, says Kruger, naturally move from these high areas as summer approaches. “We’ve already experienced a decrease in the number of white sharks in the area over the past two weeks,” he says. As part of its plan for peak season, the PSAG has erected information boards for the public and is creating brochures to explain its safety protocols to holidaymakers.

“Shark spotters from Cape Town are setting up a Plett station where they’re training people so that we have shark spotters on some of our key beaches,” says Kruger. Central Beach is putting in a live-monitored camera system that works with light systems that set a buzzer off if a shark is spotted. “We also have an increased number of lifeguards at our beaches, and we’ll be sending out numerous jet skis to help patrol the sea.”

With buy-in from the municipality, PSAG is also researching installing a shark exclusion net on Central Beach, but Kruger cannot comment on when this will be implemented. “We should be in for a really good December, and we definitely anticipate beaches being open for swimming – safety permitting,” Kruger says.

Umhlanga is also working hard to resolve its bathing challenges in time for the holiday season, says Brian Wright, the managing director at UrbanMGT, the management company driving the Umhlanga Rocks Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP).

“We’ve been working closely with eThekwini municipality and technical staff. The UIP has roped in experienced private-sector engineers, who in collaboration with the municipality, are implementing an action plan to repair storm-damaged infrastructure by the end of November,” he says. “The primary objective is to ensure that the seawater is clean and the beaches are open for swimming for the festive season. Collaboratively, we are pushing to open those beaches at safe levels for the public on 15 December. Although there’s no guarantee about meeting this deadline, the plan is moving along quite swiftly.”

UIP runs weekly independent testing of E. coli levels, and these are carefully tracked to ensure that the beaches are open for swimming only once there is a consistent trend of clean water. Now, the focus is on repairing the Ohlanga sewerage pump station, which has been the primary cause of the contamination upstream on the Ohlanga River.

The Umgeni River also has an impact on Umhlanga’s water quality. “An eThekwini municipal contractor is repairing the Northern Waste Water Works, the primary contributor to sewer contamination, with repairs expected to be completed before the end of November,” Wright says.

Those who visited Umhlanga in October while beaches remained closed had varying experiences. “None of us got sick,” says one Joburg mom who stayed at an Umhlanga beachfront hotel with her family. “We didn’t go to Umhlanga beach, but we had beautiful walks on the promenade daily and we went to Ballito beach, which was lovely.”

Yet Dena Pantanowitz, who also stayed in Umhlanga in October, had a different experience. “We didn’t go near the beach, we drank and brushed our teeth with only bottled water, and we had no ice,” she says. Yet the night before they were due to fly home, Pantanowitz’s son was violently ill.

She began to feel sick on the aeroplane. “I had to sit down as soon as we disembarked otherwise I would have fainted. I had hot sweats, an upset stomach, I wanted to vomit, and couldn’t breathe. More than two weeks later, I’m still battling.” Pantanowitz’s mother had to come home early to be put on a drip. The family all received positive E. Coli tests.

“It must have been from the restaurants, as they clean their plates and utensils with the water,” Pantanowitz says. “I don’t know what they’re going to do in December.”

Yet, if the UIP’s plans come to fruition, the picture looks far more promising.

In the face of these seaside challenges, year-end berg and bush holidays are an up-and-coming trend. “In previous Decembers, I hardly ever sold any hotels in the Drakensberg and at the Kruger Park, but now people are nervous,” says Elad. Pilanesberg and Sun City, in particular, are major attractions this year.