- Cape Town restaurateur Kimon Bisogno died in a shark attack while swimming at Plettenberg Bay’s Central Beach.
- It’s the second fatal shark attack in the area since June, when local businessman Bruce Wolov was killed.
- Beaches were reopened on Wednesday, with authorities working on plans to reduce shark attacks in the area.
Beaches in Plettenberg Bay, the Western Cape, were reopened on Wednesday after they were closed for several days.
They were closed on Sunday after a shark attack claimed the life of a 39-year-old Cape Town woman.
Kimon Bisogno had been swimming at Plettenberg Bay’s Central beach when a great white shark attacked her.
Tributes have been pouring in for her since news of her tragic death broke.
This week on The Story, we speak to News24 journalist Marvin Charles and Plettenberg Bay shark expert Bruce Noble.
Charles said Bisogno was a much-loved community activist who owned a pizzeria, Ferdinandos, in Observatory.
He added flowers and messages had been put up outside her restaurant, and the homeless in the area were also in mourning.
“She would give them food every Wednesday. She would also give them sleeping bags, so they fostered a strong relationship with her.”
Many of the homeless people said Bisogno had “changed their lives”.
Noble said Bisogno was in “fairly shallow water”, but where the incident occurred “there is a slight drop off, and the water would have been around two metres deep”.
He told News24 shark attacks were rare, and it could have attacked her for “myriad reasons”.
Noble said it could have been in “predatory mode, confused or curious”, adding “exploratory bites to see what is in the water are the most common”.
This was the second fatal shark attack in the same area in three months.
“It was just extremely unfortunate that both these incidents were fatal. It really is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we do need to be aware that they are there, especially in the winter months. We have to exercise extreme caution,” Noble said.