Great white sharks, mysteriously absent from False Bay for years, have in the past few weeks been seen there on six occasions. It may be cause for cautious celebration and a warning to bathers.

In 2011 great white sightings in False Bay hit an all-time high, with over 300 sightings by Shark Spotters. By 2020 that had crashed to zero and stayed that way for the following three years.

It was much the same along the south and east coast and did considerable damage to the shark cage diving industry. For tourists, not seeing a great white was like failing to encounter a lion in Kruger Park.

Debates about their disappearance raged. Was it the appearance of two shark-catching orcas Port and Starboard? Was it demersal long-line fishing boats catching smaller sharks that are central to great white diets? Were they simply moving to other areas (great whites swim great distances)? Were they being killed on the KZN anti-shark drumlines?

Late last month and then in early December, Shark Spotters logged four sightings, two by spotters at Muizenberg, one by a spearfisher at Smitswinkel Bay and another by "an experienced user" off Roman Rock. Sarah Waries of Shark Spotters added that someone fishing off Macassar had hooked, then released a great white.

Dave Hurwitz of the Simon's Town Boat Company based in Simon's Town said he...