All about: Shark attacks in South Africa

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean to its east and the Atlantic to its west, South Africa is a haven for a large variety of sea animals - including large, man-eating sharks, the most prolific of which are the great white shark, the tiger shark and the Zambezi (or bull) shark. The country has been host to many gory attacks over the years. In fact, with more than 40 fatalities in 100 years, it's second only to Florida in the US.

KwaZulu-Natal
Prior to the 1960s, the Natal coast on South Africa's eastern seaboard was the focus of most fatal shark attacks, culminating in the 'Black December' of 1957 in which five people were killed between December 1957 and Easter 1958. These were the result of great white sharks which are usually less common along the Natal coast than bull sharks. However, after nets were inserted along Natal's most popular beaches, shark attacks in the province have become almost non-existent. Western Cape
As there are no nets along the Cape coastline, surfers and other bathers are particularly exposed to attacks by great white sharks; indeed, there have been several attacks over the past few years, often but not always on surfers. One notorious spot is the popular beach resort of Fish Hoek near Cape Town. In November 2004, 77-year-old grandmother Tyna Webb was devoured by a 22-foot great white. More recently, Zimbabwean Lloyd Skinner was also killed 100m offshore. Eastern Cape
Although it is less of a tourist magnet than KwaZulu-Natal or the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape has also been the focus of several shark attacks in recent years. Although the culprit species hasn't always been identified, a fatal attack on a 17-year-old surfer in January 2011 was said to have been made by a tiger shark, and a 16-year-old surfer was killed in March 2009 by either a bull or tiger shark.