Shark Spotters wins Gold Innovation Award

05 May 2016

As the City of Cape Town, we are proud to share that on Thursday, 7 April 2016 our funded Shark Spotters Programme was awarded the Gold Innovation Award. This is awarded to a tourism organization or business that contributes to responsible holidays in beach settings. The award is in the Best for Beach Category, at the African Responsible Tourism Awards.

As the City of Cape Town, we are proud to share that on Thursday, 7 April 2016 our funded Shark Spotters Programme was awarded the Gold Innovation Award. This is awarded to a tourism organisation or business that contributes to responsible holidays in beach settings.  The award is in the Best for Beach Category, at the African Responsible Tourism Awards.

Judges were looking for organisations that showed leadership in responsible tourism policies and practices at beaches, positive integration and relationships with local communities and proven achievements in maintaining and conserving beach environments.

Our Shark Spotters Programme contributes to responsible tourism in Cape Town through its combination of shark safety, cutting-edge research, public education and uplifting Cape Town communities.  This enables us to protect people’s beach experiences and keep residents and tourists’ safe. 

The African Responsible Tourism judges praised the programme and work being done by the Shark Spotters, stating: ‘Shark Spotters’ solution to safe beaches removes the fear factor from enjoying Cape Town’s beaches, while working to protect sharks, particularly the Great White Shark – a globally threatened species. This pioneering and innovative approach netted a Gold Award. Spotters positioned on the mountainsides surrounding swimming beaches look out for sharks near the shore and use a series of flags as a warning system. Community members benefit from employment and skills development, and beachgoers get to learn about sharks and ecology.’

We are proud of the valuable and innovative work that our Shark Spotters Team do, not only in keeping beach goers safe but also building relationships within the City.  The Shark Spotters team is delighted to win this award and receive recognition for their work towards sustainable shark bite mitigation in Cape Town.  Sarah Waries, project manager for Shark Spotters said “Working together with the City of Cape Town, we have created a holistic, socially and environmentally responsible initiative that protects beach tourism, the local economy and the environment from the negative repercussions of shark bite incidents.”

The Shark Spotters Information Centre at Muizenberg’s Surfer’s Corner is open to the public from 08:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.

For more information on the latest shark sightings and research, please visit www.sharkspotters.org.za or follow the Shark Spotters on Twitter (@SharkSpotters) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/SharkSpotters).

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office