Officials close Zinkwazi Beach

The beach was closed after large carcass pieces of a humpback whale washed up on shore.  

KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board's Mike Anderson-Reade says they had to remove shark nets to allow the remaining pieces of the carcass to emerge from the sea.  

He says what has made the situation difficult is that the carcass had been scavenged and there could be more bits deeper in the water.

"Sharks are very attracted to blubber. So, it's blubber that's in the way and it attracts them and any other rotting carcass will attract tiger sharks and white sharks into an area.

"We don't know exactly what is happening in terms of sharks. It's a bit of a problem at this stage in time but we'll only put the gear back in and reopen bathing once the area is cleared," he said. 

(File photo)