Janine Lochrenberg, 65, was swimming off KuGompo City’s coast on Tuesday morning when a shark bit her twice, killing her before she could be pulled from the water. The South African was attacked at around 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) at Orient Beach, a site now closed alongside a nearby beach by authorities.
Lochrenberg was part of her local open water swimming club, out for a daily morning swim. Fellow swimmers brought her to shore but believed she had already died in the water. One of them told the BBC that she was bitten on her thigh and upper arm. She had been wearing a magnetic shark-repellent band on her ankle.
Her sister Margot was with her when they brought her ashore. “I was holding her head as we brought her to shore but believed she bled out in the water,” Margot told the BBC.
Lochrenberg had a deep connection to the ocean. Her sister said she “loved the water so much” and had accepted the “elevated shark presence in East London.” She added that Janine “had a deep affinity with the water and was a remarkable person.”
Barbara Briceland, Lochrenberg’s partner, described her as a strong and experienced swimmer who often ventured far into the breakers. Briceland told the BBC that Janine was a retired medical physicist, “highly intelligent, lots of fun, kind, in a quietish way, thoughtful, well-loved with a love of life.”
The couple had been planning a three-week road trip, looking forward to retirement.
Shark attacks are rare in South Africa. According to the Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File, there have been about 10 fatal shark attacks in the country since 2012. This is the first recorded fatal shark attack in South Africa this year.
KuGompo City, formerly known as East London, lies on South Africa’s east coast, where shark presence is known but attacks remain infrequent. The beach where the attack happened, Orient Beach, is popular with swimmers and surfers.
Authorities have not released further details about the species of shark involved or the ongoing safety measures beyond the closures of Orient Beach and a nearby beach.
Lochrenberg’s death is a rare and tragic event in a region where open water swimming is a common morning ritual for many.
According to Joy Online.
