The Natal Sharks Board December 1957 was known as Black Week. On the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, there were seven shark attacks, five of them fatal. The consequence of these attacks was the formation of a body to research sharks and to develop measures to prevent a recurrence of the attacks. There are more than one hundred species of shark in the waters around South Africa, from the pygmy shark to the whale shark and including the great white. Visit the Sharks Board, the only organization of its type in the world.
Every day there are demonstrations, talks and shark dissections.
The Board is just up the hill from the centre of Umhlanga. Don't miss it - educational yet exciting. You can also book to go out with the Sharks Board boats at dawn when they check the shark nets that keep Durban's beaches safe. Despite the efforts of the Board, around 80 dolphins end up in the nets each year and the Board is actively engaged in developing shark deterrents other than nets, possibly electromagnetic. The Sharks Board also run morning tours to watch the humpback whales that migrate to these waters.