The Discovery Channel aired “Shark Week” in the States starting on the 4th of August 2013. I was informed of the Megalodon attack near Hout Bay by concerning friends living in Boston who were shocked to have learnt that an entire fishing boat was sunk and all on board subsequently eaten by a suspected prehistoric shark. Search results indicate that the last recorded shark attack in Cape Town was on the 19th April 2012 involving body boarder David Lilienfeld near Kogel Bay and a Great White shark. There is no media coverage regarding the Megalodon attack in Hout Bay, despite the program having “actual footage” from local news broadcasters. The Discovery Channel has done themselves a serious discredit to their audience by broadcasting this fictional episode.
For the record, there was never a Megalodon attack in Hout Bay, Cape Town and here’s why. The Megalodon shark was an apex predator existing around 1.5+ million years ago during the Cenozoic Era. Remains of excavated fossils suggest that they grew to a lengthy 18 meters with individual teeth diagonally measuring a staggering 170mm making this one of the most powerful predators in vertebrae history.
Pictures: Wikipedia
This shark could have easily sunk the vessel that Discovery Channel suggests but there is no convincing evidence that these once powerful creatures are still in existence. Yes, one could argue that we have yet to explore and discover all of the oceans and that the Coelacanth was a famous discovery made not so long ago off our coastal waters. So what are the chances of a Megalodon swimming off Clifton beach or Hout Bay? Very slim! An apex predator of this magnitude would have to consume vast quantities of fish and other ocean mammals to sustain its self. I couldn't imagine a Megalodon sitting down to a nice vegetarian buffet of seaweed and the likes thereof. Surely with today’s modern technology, such as sonar, we would have found a Megalodon shark - especially with the tuna fleet operating from Hout Bay Harbor, someone should have caught one by now?
According to Marine Biologist Alison Kock, in recent years an average of only six people have been attacked every year in South African waters, with 26 attacks since 1960. Only one in 10 shark attacks are fatal. As tourists in particular spend more time in the waters sharks favor off Australia, America and in the Pacific, globally the number of attacks is growing.
Cape Town has employed the services of "Shark Spotters” at all major beaches and hot spots along the Cape Peninsula. The spotters indicate to the public any presence of sharks with a color flag system as follows:
Shark Have Been Spotted
High Shark Alert
Spotting Conditions Are Poor
Spotting Conditions Are Good
The previous shark attack involving a British tourist was due to his own ignorance as he had been warned about the shark sightings and still chose to swim. Use your common sense and take note of the Shark Spotter flags!
Statistically speaking you are safer in the sea than your own car… scary fact! You are more likely to die from cows, ants, mosquitoes, lightning, traffic light intersection (robots) and so on, than a shark attack let alone a Megalodon. Take a look at the list of the top 25 things more likely to kill you as opposed to sharks: http://kafe.com/news/25-shocking-things-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-a-shark/. I had a good chuckle at this list.
So Discovery Channel, I must admit that your episode on the Megalodon while it was more convincing than the original Jaws Trilogy in 1975, it is still flawed. Unfortunately for the tourism industry in Cape Town, there are Americans wondering the streets back home believing everything they saw. This is a fact as I have received numerous emails and phone calls from friends abroad. So on land one might consider yourself a “big fish,” but in the ocean we are merely part of the food chain. Respect it.
REF: Discovery Channel & Wikipedia
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