Despite the reopenings, some beaches remain closed due to ongoing safety concerns.
The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence has confirmed the reopening of multiple beaches along the province’s South Coast for swimming, following a careful review of sardine activity in the area.
This comes weeks after the sardine run prompted the temporary closure of beaches between Port Edward and Isipingo due to increased shark presence and the removal of shark safety gear.
Sardines move offshore
The Sharks Board said on Friday that although there are still occasional sightings of small sardine pockets, most of the marine activity is now occurring far offshore and away from bathing zones.
“We have noticed that although there are occasionally still small pockets of sardines in the area, most of the activity has been taking place relatively far offshore. There has been little activity close inshore,” the board said.
Here are the beaches open
As a result, the following beaches have been declared safe and are now open for swimming:
- Hibberdene
- Umzumbe
- Banana Beach
- Sunwich Port
- South Port
- Umtentweni
- St Michael’s on Sea
- Uvongo
- Margate
- Ramsgate
- Southbroom
- San Lameer
- Trafalgar
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Closures still in place for some beaches
Despite the reopening, several beaches remain off-limits due to safety concerns. These include:
- Umkobi Beach (SYSU)
- Glenmore
- Leisure Bay
- T.O. Strand
- Port Edward
“The KZNSB requests that the lifeguards monitor and control the bathing accordingly,” the Board stated.
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Ongoing monitoring
The Board continues to monitor the migration closely, following earlier reports of netting success at Port Edward, Sandspit, and Pennington, where sardines and sharks were both recorded in large numbers.
In early June, eThekwini Municipality confirmed the closure of southern beaches due to the removal of shark nets.
At the time, spokesperson Luthando Ngubane said the city was “awaiting an official update” from the Sharks Board.
With portions of the coastline now reopened, officials are urging the public to continue exercising caution and follow instructions from lifeguards and authorities.
Beachgoers can stay updated via official channels as the sardine run continues its northward journey along the KZN coast.
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