Nobody saw it coming

Update

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - This week's shark attack at Central Beach in Plettenberg Bay was captured on video and showed that Kimon (Kiki) Bisogno (39) of Cape Town, who died in the attack, did not see the predator coming.

Bitou Mayor Dave Swart said a video clip showed Bisogno, who was staying at the nearby Beacon Island Resort, had gone for an early morning swim shortly before 08:00.

She was about 50m from the beach when the shark struck, the video showed. "There was no warning beforehand and you couldn't see the shark in the water before it attacked her. She was alone in the water at the time of the attack," Swart said.

He told the SABC's Agenda this week that some of her friends and other people on the beach witnessed the "traumatic event".

Tributes poured in on social media for Bisogno, joint owner of a pizzeria and an activist for the homeless in Cape Town. She is described as a "beautiful soul". Bisogno, a mother of a five-year-old daughter, was taking a weekend away with the love of her life, Diego Milesi.

A group of locals, organised by the Plett lifeguard group, gathered early on Monday to lay flowers on Central Beach.

"The circumstances are tragic and we send condolences to her family and her friends," said Swart. He said there were no shark barriers on the beach and also no lifeguards on the beach at the time of the attack. "In season we usually have lifeguards on the beach, but out of season we don't," he said.

A group of Plettenberg Bay locals gathered early on Monday to lay flowers at Central Beach where Kiki Bisogno died on Sunday.

Counter measures

After stockbroker Bruce Wolov, an acclaimed long-distance swimmer, died in a shark attack at Sanctuary Beach on 28 June, a Shark Action Committee was created to put plans in place to make the beaches safer for swimmers.

The plans include having spotters on beaches in the coming season, which starts on 1 October. In the meantime, Central Beach and Robberg 5 Beach will have lifeguards on duty. Swart urged visitors and residents to swim at beaches with lifeguards.

Swart said the shark activity along the coastline showed the same pattern as in the past. Shark activity peaks in winter, but fluctuates when there are orcas around, as orcas target great white sharks. Sharks, some of them tagged, had been spotted leaving Mossel Bay and swimming up the coast because of orca activity.

"We had orcas in Bitou for a short while and the sharks moved away. But they moved back last week. They are normally here this time of the year, but move away from Plettenberg Bay around October," said Swart.

He said it is procedure to close beaches after incidents like Sunday. He said the beaches will be reopened, in consultation with the NSRI, "within the next day or two".

Read the full article and other articles related to the shark attack at www.knysnaplettherald.com.

Photos: Chris van Gass