A New Zealand shark expert is concerned a proposed “safe” swimming area in Bluff could be anything but.
This week, the Bluff Community Board discussed ocean swimming options for the southern town, with areas near the boat ramp highlighted as a preference.
But a report prepared for the meeting noted safety concerns for that spot due to fish gutting attracting sharks.
Auckland War Memorial Museum curator marine biology Clinton Duffy worked with great white sharks on Stewart Island / Rakiura for 10 years and was familiar with Bluff Harbour.
He said the golden rule was to not swim anywhere people were cleaning fish or throwing offal into the water because it was almost guaranteed to attract a shark.
That sort of activity stimulated them to feed, he said, and things could get dangerous if people were splashing and be mistaken for food.
“Sharks are opportunistic predators, and they will generally go for what they think is the most vulnerable and helpless prey.
“Anywhere there are boats and fishing going on are generally bad places to swim for all sorts of reasons.”
In relation to the proposed site, Duffy said currents moved quickly through the harbour’s entrance and it would be safer to swim further away.
“It’s very strong currents in that area. It’s not a great place to swim.”
What does the community board think?
Board chairman Ray Fife said sharks were not discussed at the meeting, but a new fish processing facility constructed as part of boat ramp upgrades would help with the issue.
Fife said, of all the options presented for a swim area — which also included spots near Awarua Boating Club and Morrisons Beach — the board leaned towards the already-popular boat ramp site.
Generations of children had swum there and would probably continue to do so if changes were made, he said.
“We want our children to be able to enjoy our ocean but at the same time be safe.”
The board would now ask Environment Southland to review its navigation safety bylaw to see if it could help with providing a safe area for swimming given the activity was not permitted within 50 metres of the region’s commercial jetties, wharves and quays.
The board report said the boat ramp site had the most support from locals, iwi and clubs.
Is the proposed site an accident waiting to happen?
Duffy said the actual risk of a shark attack was not large but also couldn’t be ruled out.
It was generally safe to swim with some species in clear, “unbaited” conditions, but fish cleaning and waste increased risk.
There were a range of sharks in southern waters with the most common being the broadnosed sevengill, capable of growing up to three metres in length.
That variety had the potential to be the most dangerous around southern coastlines, Duffy said, and was believed to be behind a 2023 incident at Riverton / Aparima where a woman was bitten in the estuary at night.
It was also understood a sevengill bit a teenager at Ōreti Beach in 2010.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air