20100115
africanews

A Zimbabwean tourist has died after a shark attack him off Fish Hoek Beach near Cape Town in South Africa. Lifeguards and beach goers are on high alert following the attack, which happened early this week, according to reports out of South Africa.
Eye-witnesses said the massive shark attacked Loyd Skinner three times before dragging him under water. It is believed that the man was on holiday in South Africa when the attack occurred.

Johan De Witt, an inspector of marine and coastal management said: "According to the witnesses, it was a very big shark; it was a very big one you know. They reckon it came all along the side of the catwalk, it swam all along the side there and they only saw it at the last minute because that black flag was up to show that the water was dirty and murky and, as I said, the last attack we had was two years ago and we've had thousands of people in the water since then."

Great white sharks, which can grow to six metres in length and weigh three metric tonnes, have been responsible for most of the attacks off Cape Town's beaches in the past.

The City of Cape Town released a statement saying that beaches from Glencairn to Muizenberg would be closed until further notice as a result of the attack, while the search for the victim continues.

This is the second fatal attack on the beach since 2004, when a 77-year-old local woman was killed by a shark 150 metres from shore.

Eight sharks were sighted near Fish Hoek at the weekend by the city's Shark Spotters service, which has recorded 570 sightings over six years, AFP reports.