Surfing was interrupted by a shark sighting on Thursday at an international competition under way at Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape.
The World Surf League confirmed the sighting‚ saying: “Event officials spotted a shark coming up from the north in the direction of the competition zone and put the heat on hold. Safety teams closely monitored and confirmed that the shark exited the competition zone.”
After ensuring the area was clear‚ the league said‚ the competition had resumed.
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Commenting on the shark spotting that also interrupted the competition on Tuesday‚ Surfer.com (https://www.surfer.com/features/2018-corona-j-bay-pro-day-2/) posted a scathing comment: “…. The inevitable shark stoppage (has) become such a part of this event here that it can almost be laughed off dismissively. The water was cleared but there was never a chance this thing would stop. Western Australian taxpayers might well be pissed. The tour just upped and left with their taxpayer dollars without a shark in the lineup‚ while a toothy brute cruises through the lineup here and it feels like the 1pm dolphin show at Sea World.”
Last year‚ the quarterfinal heat of the J- Bay Open surfing competition was placed on hold when event organisers and safety teams began tracking a three-metre Great White shark swimming into the competition lineup.
Mick Fanning of Australia was famously attacked by a Great White in the opening minutes of the 2015 final at Jeffreys. Live television pictures showed the approximately 4m shark circling the former world champion and then appearing to knock him off his board. As horrified spectators looked on‚ Fanning punched and kicked at the shark‚ before swimming towards a jet-ski‚ which took him back to shore unscathed. Within five days he was back in the water in his native Australia and‚ despite the near-death escape‚ continued competing on the world circuit.
– TimesLIVE
