A 65-year-old open-water swimmer died at KuGompo City's Orient Beach on Oct. 20. A new expert review implicates a large great white, and the city says reopening depends on safety conditions.

A wound-pattern review by shark scientists has concluded that the fatal attack on a 65-year-old swimmer at Orient Beach in South Africa's Eastern Cape was consistent with a great white shark longer than 11.5 feet (3.5 meters), the Daily Dispatch reported early Friday, Oct. 23, local time. Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality said it was working toward reopening Orient Beach and neighboring Eastern Beach on Friday, but only if safety conditions allow.

The swimmer, identified in media reports as recently retired nuclear radiographer Janine Lochrenberg, was bitten while swimming with an open-water group around 7 a.m. South Africa Standard Time (SAST) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, which was 1 a.m. EDT. Police found her body with open wounds and opened an inquest, TimesLIVE reported. Municipal spokesperson Luzuko Buku said it was the city's first fatal shark attack since 1997, and its first reported attack of any kind since 2023.

For swimmers, surfers and holiday travelers, the useful question is not whether the ocean is "safe." It is which beaches are open, when lifeguards are watching, and what the shark picture looks like as South Africa heads into its busy December beach season — when crowds on Eastern Cape beaches typically peak.

A Wound Analysis Points to a Large Great White

East London Museum principal scientist Kevin Cole led the assessment, drawing on input from shark researchers Geremy Cliff and Matt Dicken. Cole said Lochrenberg suffered multiple bites to her right shoulder, arm, thigh and upper leg, with a crescent-shaped outline where the jaw closed around the thigh.

"Lacerations and finer grooves indicative of the serrated triangular teeth of a great white were also observed," Cole told the Daily Dispatch. Dicken estimated the shark at more than 11.5 feet long.

The researchers said the water was about 59°F (15°C) and clear at the time, which they said made bull sharks and tiger sharks unlikely culprits. They also noted a previous fatal attack on a surfer at Nahoon Reef, about 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) away. "Seven great white sharks were observed from the air in Chintsa Bay two days before the attack at Orient Beach," Cole said.

This is an expert interpretation of wound patterns, not a genetic test or a photograph of the animal. On the day of the attack, police and wire reports said the species had not been identified, and the inquest is still open. The review does not explain why the shark bit, and Nature World News is not concluding what the scientists stated.

Two Beaches, a Lifeguard Window and a Conditional Reopening

Buffalo City closed Orient and Eastern beaches within hours of the attack. Buku said lifeguards had monitored both beaches since Tuesday with no further shark sightings reported by lifeguards or the public, and that closures are decided beach by beach.

"Restrictions are determined by the safety conditions at each beach, and do not automatically apply to all beaches within the metro," Buku said.

Timing matters here. Lifeguards normally patrol from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. SAST, according to the municipality, so the attack happened before patrols began. For the coming festive season, the city plans to add 35 seasonal lifeguards, extend hours to 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. SAST (until 8 p.m. on peak days), fly warning flags when a shark risk is identified, and post multilingual shark-awareness signs.

"Swimming outside these hours is discouraged as lifeguard supervision and emergency assistance may not be available," Buku said. As of publication, Nature World News could not confirm whether the two beaches had reopened.

Where 2026 Shark Numbers Stand Worldwide

As of Oct. 21, the tracker Shark Data Lab, which draws on the Global Shark Attack File, had logged 69 shark incidents worldwide in 2026. Thirteen were fatal, and 60 were classed as unprovoked. Australia led with 23 incidents, followed by the United States with 21, and swimming was the most common activity at the time of a bite.

Where a species was named, bull sharks appeared most often (12 incidents), followed by white sharks (10) and tiger sharks (5). Those species counts come with a major limitation, since only about half of the 2026 records identify a species at all. The tracker also lists two separate Eastern Cape entries dated Oct. 20 that appear to describe this one attack, and it warns that recent months are routinely undercounted.

For a verified baseline, the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File confirmed 65 unprovoked bites worldwide in 2025, nine of them fatal, including one in South Africa. The United States recorded 25 of those bites, and Florida alone had 11.

Eastern Cape Waters Draw More Great Whites

Great whites have long used South Africa's coast, but where they gather has changed. A 2023 assessment by researchers from the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University and others found the population appears stable but has shifted east. The authors wrote that sightings at False Bay's Seal Island fell from 2.5 per hour in 2005 to 0.6 in 2017, while shore anglers in Algoa Bay caught 59 white sharks in 2019, up from six in 2013.

The team linked the shift partly to killer whales that began preying on white sharks in the Western Cape in 2015, though they said a direct cause-and-effect link is not firmly established. "Increased signage, temporary beach closures, or improved education about shark behaviour might be needed," the researchers wrote. Readers should note that Dicken, who sized the Orient Beach shark, is also a co-author of that study.

The people most exposed are early-morning open-water swimmers who enter the water before lifeguards arrive, surfers at reef breaks, and visitors unfamiliar with local flag systems. For everyone else, the Florida Museum stresses that the overall chance of a shark bite remains extremely low.

Precautions for Swimmers Heading to the Coast

Anyone planning to swim in the KuGompo City area should check the municipality's official channels before going in, because reopening is conditional and could change. Swim only in marked zones while lifeguards are on duty — and if a lifeguard signals you out of the water or you spot a shark, get out right away and report it.

The International Shark Attack File's general advice applies on any coast, including Florida, the Carolinas and California. Swim with other people nearby, avoid dawn and dusk, and stay away from areas where people are fishing. In any emergency, call local emergency services immediately rather than waiting for help to arrive on its own.

What happens next is the reopening decision itself, announced through Buffalo City's official channels, followed by the inquest and formal classification of the incident in global shark files. The bottom line is that experts now point to a large great white, the city plans a cautious reopening, and the safest choice for visitors is simple: swim when and where lifeguards are watching.

What Readers Want to Know

What happened at Orient Beach?

A 65-year-old open-water swimmer was fatally bitten around 7 a.m. SAST on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly East London, in South Africa's Eastern Cape.

Which shark was responsible?

A wound review by the East London Museum's Kevin Cole, with input from Geremy Cliff and Matt Dicken, found the injuries consistent with a great white longer than 11.5 feet. This is an expert assessment, not a genetic confirmation.

Are the beaches open?

Buffalo City said it planned to reopen Orient and Eastern beaches on Friday, Oct. 23, if safety conditions allowed. Check the municipality's official channels before swimming.

How common are fatal shark attacks?

They are rare. The International Shark Attack File confirmed 65 unprovoked bites worldwide in 2025, nine of them fatal.

Why are great whites showing up more in the Eastern Cape?

A 2023 study found South Africa's white sharks shifted east after 2015, possibly in response to killer whale predation in the Western Cape, though the cause is not firmly established.

How can swimmers lower their risk?

Swim in patrolled zones during lifeguard hours, stay with other people, avoid dawn and dusk, and keep away from fishing activity.