The eThekwini Municipality will today close a number of beaches along
the Citys coastline as the Natal Sharks Board will remove shark nets
at beaches north of the Suncoast Casino today.
This is largely due to the fact that the Durban Weather Office has
advised that a large wave swell is forecast to pick up overnight on
Friday, peaking on Saturday with heights of 4.5m on the South Coast
and 3.5m on the North Coast.
The Sharks board sustained a large amount of damage to their equipment
during the tidal wave activity that occurred last month, and to avoid
further damages, the nets will be removed.
Although Suncoast Beach, and those south of it will not be affected,
the nets at Ansteys and Brighton Beaches will also be removed today.
Nets along the Durban beach front between the Casino and Addington
will however, stay in place. Beaches up to and including Umdloti Beach
will have their nets removed.
According to Christo Swart, eThekwinis Deputy Head: Parks, Leisure
and Cemeteries, Beaches without Shark nets will be closed for bathing
and other water activities. The Sharks Board operations staff will
remain on duty over the weekend and will replace the nets as soon as
sea conditions will allow them to. Our officials will monitor the
situation to ensure that the affected beaches will re-open as soon as
possible. However, as normal the City will be ready for the patrons of
our beaches over the upcoming long week-end.
The public is advised to take heed and obey instructions of officials
on duty as a safety precaution.
For further information and enquiries contact 031 335 3700 during
office hours.