A humpback whale which washed up dead at Ballito’s Boulders Beach (first reported on Saturday morning) caused quite a stir in the North Coast town.
A large crowd of residents gathered just to the right of Boulders Bay, many in awe of the size of the marine beast.
In this photo a large shark seems to stalk the whale. Mike Anderson-Reade of the KZN Sharks Board commented: The image shows what appears to be a great white shark patrolling just offshore of a humpback whale carcass that washed ashore at Ballito recently. Such carcasses are known to attract large sharks and this is the reason that the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) advises against swimming when there is a carcass nearby.
“The photographs were taken and supplied by local boat-based whale-watching operator Pam Le Noury of Ocean Ventures (0861001138).” Click on the image to see the entire photograph.
Rugby star AJ Venter reported on Facebook: “We suspect he was dead due to numerous holes in the carcass possibly by sharks in the days before the event. He is also already decomposing and there is a very bad smell hanging in the area, that shows us that he possibly died a few days ago and washed up last night.”
When The Ridge Online visited the scene, heavy waves were pounding the whale carcass, which had huge chunks ripped out by sharks. While a strong breeze was helping offset the smell of decaying whale flesh, a resident said that there had been quite a stench at the weekend.
Hundreds of curious people flocked to the scene to witness the unusual sight. Surfers have been advised to stay out of the water in the area, because sharks have been drawn to feed on the carcass.
If you enjoyed this post see whale lands on boat
The Sharks Board’s Mike Anderson-Reade said that the KwaDukuza local municipality had a huge logistical problem on its hands. “We went up there to advise the municipality on safety issues. There had been a lot of shark activity for example, as evidenced by the bites on the whale. But it’s also very difficult dealing with moving or disposing with a 15 ton whale carcass.”
Anderson-Reade said he suspected that the municipality would have to drag the whale to the shore and then cut it up before disposing of the meat. The Sharks Board had contacted Marine Coastal Management to assist the local council in dealing with the crisis.