On Saturday morning 18 May, False Bay Yacht Club members notified Mike on Shark Diving Unlimited’s research sailing vessel “Catalyst”, that a young Blue Shark was swimming bewildered and confused in the shallows in the marina at Simon’s Town.

With fellow club members John and Nina, they sprang into action, commandeered the club ferry and hauled the young fellow into the boat.

They then proceeded to take the shark out beyond the SA Navy harbour wall and set him free.

The shark was approximately 1.3 metres in length and was sexually mature. He had two holes, most probably from a gaff, in in his lower body near the head. He showed signs of extreme stress, but still seemed quite strong. Mike’s assumption is that a fisherman had caught him, brought him back from the trip and then decided to throw him overboard in the jetty/marina area.

Michael says “the problem is that most shark species are considered commercial fish within the Republic of South Africa’s borders, even though some of them are protected by Cites”.

A big thank you to all who helped in this endeavor.