[imagesource: Marine Dynamics]

Spare a thought for shark cage diving operators around the Western Cape, and those operating shark viewing tours, for the hardships they’ve endured these past few years.

The disappearance of the region’s great white sharks has been well documented and the presence of Port and Starboard, the infamous orcas, has likely also played a role.

In Gansbaai, after a year of being totally absent, the great whites are finally back. On June 12, shark cage diving company Marine Dynamics reported a sighting of a female:

IOL with more:

White shark biologist and PhD candidate, Alison Towner, said this was the first sighting in Gansbaai after almost a year.

Marine biologist Kelly Baker said: “In Gansbaai, a noticeable decline in great white shark sightings was observed from the beginning of 2017. The first half of that year saw multiple extended periods completely void of great white shark sightings in the area, something that we have not recorded in the 15 years that the team has been collecting near-daily observational data on this species.”

Towner added that one shark seen this week, a four-metre female, had been acoustic tagged (using small sound-emitting devices that allow for detection and remote tracking in water) off the tip of Africa a month ago.

On June 16, three great whites were spotted:

Three days later, five were spotted:

Our great whites may fear Port and Starboard, but historically, they have overcome greater foes.

Recent research shows how they outsmarted the massive megalodon to first rule the oceans three million years ago.

[sources:iol&marinedynamics]