A young great white shark was filmed north of Seal Island in South Africaās False Bay on 23 September 2026. According to Daily Maverick, guests and crew of African Shark Eco-Charters spotted the animal during a trip.
The footage shows the shark taking bait. According to the report, the bait is attached to a line but contains no hook. The video comes from African Shark Eco-Charters.
One sighting does not yet mean a lasting return
The operator says this was its first encounter with a great white shark in eight years. There had reportedly been occasional anecdotal sighting reports in the meantime. The long gap therefore does not prove that the species had disappeared completely from the bay throughout that period.
The companyās management also cautions against jumping to conclusions: it is still unclear whether more animals will follow and great white sharks will once again use False Bay regularly.
Alongside orca predation, possible human impacts form part of the background to the decline. Read more in our article on the protection of great white sharks in South Africa.
