Posted by on November 16, 2004 at 02:55:38:
In Reply to: Fish Hoek woman killed in shark attack posted by on November 15, 2004 at 23:14:03:
A wreath of flowers lay on a bench on Jagger's Walk early today, the bench where Tyna Webb always left her towelling robe before plunging into the sea for her regular early morning swim.
But yesterday's swim was her last.
Shortly before 7am an exceptionally large shark, believed to be a 6m Great White, seized the elderly resident of Sunny Cove, Fish Hoek, in its jaws.
Witnesses who saw the attack from the catwalk and from the hillside overlooking the bay said the water boiled and then turned red.
The shark swam out to sea, and Webb was not seen again. All that was found was her red bathing cap.
The official search for her body has been called off.
National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon said today that the City of Cape Town's law enforcement officials and life guards along Fish Hoek beach would continue to search the shore for the body.
"The beach is not closed, but officers are advising swimmers to stay aware," he said.
Early today a handful of people were swimming at Fish Hoek beach, in spite of the horror attack.
But they were all in the shallows on the beach or keeping to the rock pools, and none had ventured out into the bay where the shark grabbed Webb yesterday.
A few people were walking along Jagger's Walk.
Most were friends of the dead woman, and her death was the main topic of conversation.
But with the south-easter thundering across the bay and whipping up sand on the beach, the beach was quiet.
Mark Baleta, a long-time resident of Fish Hoek, had a swim today.
But he said he had been careful not to take to deep water ever since the shark attack that cost young JP Andrews his leg at Muizenberg in April.
"I no longer swim out to the buoy as I did in earlier days.
"I told Tyna not to swim out so deep. I told all the people here.
"I spoke to Tyna often, but she had a fatalistic view of it.
"The fact is the sharks are always here. I used to go fishing on boats and we always came across the sharks. We had to cut them loose from our fishing lines. It is not a new thing."
Baleta said he had been swimming at Fish Hoek for 18 years and he used to swim out to a buoy well off the walk and back to the beach. Now, however, he only goes in waist deep, because he knows that danger is lurking.