KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board
Encyclopedia
Shark net
A shark net is a submerged net placed around beaches to reduce shark attacks on swimmers.Shark nets do not offer complete protection but work on the principle of "fewer sharks, fewer attacks". They reduce occurrence via shark mortality. Reducing the local shark populations is believed to reduce the...
s and drum lines
Drum lines
A drum line is an aquatic device used to reduce the amount of shark attacks in popular beaches by capturing the shark on the drum line's hook. While most drum lines are used in addition to the shark net, it has been proven that the drum line is more effective at catching the three more deadly sharks...
off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
Province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, to protect bathers and surfers from shark attack
Shark attack
A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year around 60 shark attacks are reported worldwide, although death is quite unusual. Despite the relative rarity of shark attacks, the fear of sharks is a common phenomenon, having been fueled by the occasional instances of serial attacks,...
s, at 38 places, along 320 km of coastline. It was founded as a statuatory body in 1962, when the city of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
's netting operations were extended to other parts of the coast in the then Natal Province
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
. It is headquartered at Umghlanga
Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal
Umhlanga is a residential, commercial and resort town north of Durban on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, created in 2000, which includes the greater Durban area...
The Natal Sharks Board marketed the first Protective Oceanic Device
Protective Oceanic Device
The Protective Oceanic Device is a portable device that emits an electromagnetic field around a person protecting against sharks. The POD was developed by Natal Sharks Board, and was the first successful electronic shark repellent for scuba divers....
called the Shark POD, a personal device to deter sharks.