Hongkongers looking to cool off in the waters of Lantau Island’s Silvermine Bay on Saturday were scared off after lifeguards announced sightings of a “big fish”, which later turned out to be a shark.
At around 12:50pm, the police received a report saying that a man had seen what he believed to be a shark in Silvermine Bay, according to the SCMP. Perhaps he was simply calling to share his excitement about seeing such a majestic creature alive and kicking, as they have become increasingly rare to find in Hong Kong waters.
Nevertheless, the police launched a search and confirmed that there was indeed a shark, measuring up to two metres long, spotted just outside the beach’s shark net. No shark warnings or red flags were hoisted at the beach.
Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Lifeguards’ Union Alex Kwok told the SCMP that sharks would have difficulty chewing through the nets, but said it was “still dangerous” and that people should still avoid swimming in the area “for now” since nets are “not totally safe”.
Nevermind that Silvermine Bay sometimes has oil spills (one’s been spotted just today), was actually closed twice last month beacuse of how much E. coli (a.k.a. poop bacteria) there was in the water, and has been no stranger to the occasional red tide. Let’s be afraid of SHARKS!
The last recorded shark attack in Hong Kong occurred over twenty years ago, when a 45-year-old female swimmer was believed to be killed by a tiger shark in June 1995.
Hong Kong handles about half of the global trade in shark fin, with a recent survey finding that 98 percent of traditional Chinese restaurants serve shark fin for Lunar New Year dinners.
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