Swimmer, 65, killed in shark attack off South Africa's east coast

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1. 1

   Swimmer, 65, killed in shark attack off South Africa's east coast

   BBC NewsPublished Oct 20, 2026Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “Janine Lochrenberg had "a deep affinity with the water" her sister told the BBC A South African woman has been killed in a shark attack off the country's east coast, in what is the first recorded such fatality this year. Janine Lochrenberg was swimming off a beach in KuGompo City (formerly East London) on Tuesday morning when she was attacked. Witnesses said the 65-year-old was bitten in two places and died before she was brought to shore. Shark attacks are rare in South Africa, with fewer than 10 fatal ones since 2012, according to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File. Lochrenberg was out on a daily morning swim with her local open water swimming club when she was attacked at around 08:00 (06:00 GMT). Fellow swimmers brought her to shore, but it's believed she died before they could get her out of the water. She was bitten on her thigh and her upper arm, one of her fellow swimmers told the BBC. They also said she had been wearing a magnetic shark repellent band on her ankle at the time. Lochrenberg's sister Margot said she was holding her sister's head as they brought her to shore but believed she bled out in the water. She told the BBC that her sister had "loved the water so much" despite knowing there was an "elevated shark presence in East London". "She'd made peace with that. She had a deep affinity with the water and was a remarkable person," she said.”

2. 2

   A shark's eye view: testing the 'mistaken identity theory' behind shark bites on humans.

   Journal of the Royal Society, Interface (Ryan et al.)Published Oct 27, 2021Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “Unfortunately, we understand little about why sharks bite humans. One theory for bites occurring at the surface, e.g. on surfers, is that of mistaken identity, whereby sharks mistake humans for their typical prey (pinnipeds in the case of white sharks). This study tests the mistaken identity theory by comparing video footage of pinnipeds, humans swimming and humans paddling surfboards, from the perspective of a white shark viewing these objects from below. Videos were processed to reflect how a shark's retina would detect the visual motion and shape cues. Motion cues of humans swimming, humans paddling surfboards and pinnipeds swimming did not differ significantly. The shape of paddled surfboards and human swimmers was also similar to that of pinnipeds with their flippers abducted. The difference in shape between pinnipeds with abducted versus adducted flippers was bigger than between pinnipeds with flippers abducted and surfboards or human swimmers. From the perspective of a white shark, therefore, neither visual motion nor shape cues allow an unequivocal visual distinction between pinnipeds and humans, supporting the mistaken identity theory behind some bites.”

3. 3

   Predicting potential future reduction in shark bites on people.

   Royal Society open science (Bradshaw et al.)Published Mar 31, 2021Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “Despite the low chance of a person being bitten by a shark, there are serious associated costs. Electronic deterrents are currently the only types of personal deterrent with empirical evidence of a substantial reduction in the probability of being bitten by a shark. We aimed to predict the number of people who could potentially avoid being bitten by sharks in Australia if they wear personal electronic deterrents. We used the Australian Shark Attack File from 1900 to 2020 to develop sinusoidal time-series models of per capita incidents, and then stochastically projected these to 2066. We predicted that up to 1063 people (range: 185-2118) could potentially avoid being bitten across Australia by 2066 if all people used the devices. Avoiding death and injury of people over the next half-century is of course highly desirable, especially when considering the additional costs associated with the loss of recreational, commercial and tourism revenue potentially in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars following clusters of shark-bite events.”

4. 4

   Reducing the environmental impact of shark-control programs: a case study from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   Marine and Freshwater Research (Cliff & Dudley)Published Jun 1, 2011Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “Over the past three decades, there have been several interventions to reduce such impact in the KZN program. The first was the release of all live sharks, including those species known to be responsible for fatal shark attacks. Measures to reduce catches of sharks associated with the winter influx of shoals of sardines, Sardinops sagax, have been increasingly successful. In addition, extensive removal of nets has resulted in a major reduction in effort. Collectively, these initiatives reduced mortalities of sharks by 64%. Baited lines, termed drumlines, were introduced at 18 beaches, where they replaced some of the nets. The former had a far lower by-catch of rays, turtles and cetaceans and significantly lower catches of certain shark species. Replacement of some nets with drumlines is planned for the remaining beaches. Only two attacks, both non-fatal, have occurred at protected beaches in KZN over the past three decades, indicating that the program has maintained its public safety mandate while it has succeeded in reducing its impact on the environment.”

5. 5

   Shark attack (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaChecked Oct 20, 2026

   “A shark attack is an incident in which a shark bites or otherwise injures a human. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and horror fiction and films such as the Jaws series. Out of more than 500 shark species, only three are responsible for a double-digit number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, and bull. Humans are not part of a shark's normal diet. Sharks usually feed on small fish and invertebrates, seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals. A shark attack will usually occur if the shark feels curious or confused.”

6. 6

   Science, policy, and the public discourse of shark “attack”: a proposal for reclassifying human–shark interactions

   Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences (Pepin‐Neff & Hueter)Published Jan 22, 2013Checked Oct 20, 2026

   “Under current labels, listings of shark attack may even include instances where there is no physical contact between shark and human. The dominant perception of intent-laden shark “attacks” with fatal outcomes is outdated as a generic term and misleading to the public. We propose new descriptive labels based on the different outcomes associated with human–shark interactions, including sightings, encounters, bites, and the rare cases of fatal bites. We argue two central points: first, that a review of the scientific literature shows that humans are “not on the menu” as typical shark prey. Second, we argue that the adoption of a more prescriptive code of reporting by scientists, the media, and policy makers will serve the public interest by clarifying the true risk posed by sharks and informing better policy making. Finally, we apply these new categories to the 2009 New South Wales Shark Meshing Report in Australia and the history of shark incidents in Florida to illustrate how these changes in terminology can alter the narratives of human–shark interactions.”