South Africa shark attack kills swimmer, 65, at Orient Beach

A shark killed Janine Lochrenberg, 65, during her regular morning swim with an open-water swimming club at Orient Beach in South Africa’s KuGompo City, formerly East London, on Tuesday, 20 October. BBC News reported that the attack occurred at about 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT), and authorities confirmed that Orient Beach and another nearby beach had been closed.

Fellow swimmers brought Lochrenberg ashore, but witnesses believed she had died before they could get her out of the water. One swimmer said she had suffered bites to her thigh and upper arm and was wearing a magnetic shark-repellent band around her ankle. That account does not establish what effect, if any, the device had.

Lochrenberg’s sister, Margot, said she held her sister’s head as the group brought her towards shore and believed she had bled to death in the water. She recalled Lochrenberg’s strong attachment to swimming, despite her awareness of sharks in the area.

Family remembers a life centred on the water

Her partner, Barbara Briceland, described the retired medical physicist as a capable and courageous swimmer who frequently ventured far into the breakers. She remembered her intelligence, kindness and enjoyment of life. The couple had been looking forward to retirement and were preparing to take a three-week road trip together.

The attack was reported as South Africa’s first recorded fatal shark incident of the year. Such deaths are uncommon in the country: figures attributed to the Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File put the number of fatal attacks since 2012 at about 10.