PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plett's shark alarm system has been strengthened even further, following a deadly shark attack off Central Beach nearly two years ago.

The NSRI in Plettenberg Bay have installed a second shark alarm system at Hobie Beach, as part of its Beach Safety Camera Network Project.

The NSRI beach safety camera and shark alarm were put in place after Kimon "Kiki" Bisogno (39) was taken by a great white shark while swimming off Central Beach early in the morning on September 25, 2022.

"A team from NSRI head office in Cape Town met with the NSRI Station 14, Plettenberg Bay leadership on 1 October 2022 and came up with a plan that integrated a beach safety camera, used by the NSRI on 5 other beaches around South Africa, and an alarm system that can be activated by Shark Spotters, Beach Control Office, lifeguards and the NSRI," said Andrew Ingram, NSRI communications manager.

"After the camera and alarm components were acquired and the system built, it was installed on the 15 December 2022 on top of Beacon Isle."

The system is designed to improve sea rescue and beach safety, and it helps remote NSRI camera operators to spot rip currents and sharks and monitor areas to assist lifeguards and NSRI rescue swimmers.

Ingram said Shark Spotters on top of the Beacon Isle have also made a "huge improvement to the beach safety at Plett".

"The NSRI cameras are an added piece of safety to the overall project and the alarm gives the Shark Spotters the ability to instantly warn beachgoers and officials of a shark in the bay at the push of a remote button, which further adds to the efficiency of the warning system.

"Having trained people at this vantage point is invaluable," said Ingram.

Ingram added the PTZ camera (pan-tilt-zoom) is set to automatically "patrol" through preset zones and is also monitored by the NSRI's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Cape Town.

Plettenberg Bay is the only location equipped with an alarm system, "which we have now extended, using a wireless network, to Hobie Beach".

Ingram said the alarm incorporates flashing lights and audio sound to warn people in the water from Hobie Beach to Wedge of a shark in the bay and is activated at the same time as the siren and flashing lights at Central Beach.

Asked how often it been activated in the past two years, since the shark incident, Ingram said: "Interestingly there have been very few sharks in the bay at Central Beach area since the alarm was installed.

"In the past two weeks there have been a couple of white sharks close to shore in the area of Robberg 5, but they did not swim around to Central Beach. I would estimate that the alarm has been used only three or four times since it was installed."

NSRI Station 14 Plettenberg Bay commander Jaco Kruger strongly supports the shark alarm and camera system.

"The benefit of having a quality camera and alarm linked to our EOC and ops room is extremely impactful," he said in an NSRI media release on 2 August.

"I know we like to refer to it as a shark camera, but it's bather safety out-and-out," Kruger said, highlighting the camera's capability to zoom all the way to the river mouth.

"It's a multi-purpose tool, and it's definitely the future."

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’