NSB boat crews launch from various beaches before sunrise, often through rough seas, in 6m craft, powered by two outboard engines, known locally as skiboats. The nets are serviced about 20 times per month. Each net is pulled to the surface, where it is examined for captured animals and damage, a procedure known as "meshing". All live animals, including potentially dangerous sharks, are released; many of them are tagged.

Public Shows
The NSB welcomes and encourages visits by members of the public to its Umhlanga Rocks offices. On offer is a 25 minute multimedia program that not only entertains but is also educational, with lots of information on the importance of sharks. This is followed by a shark dissection, which provides a unique opportunity to see (and smell...) the internal machinery of one of the ocean's most awesome predators. A large variety of lifelike replicas of sharks, fish and rays, including that of a 892 kg great white shark are displayed at the facility. There's also a curios shop on the premises.

Boat Trips
For the more adventurous there are trips out to sea on an NSB skiboat, modified to accommodate tourists, to observe, first hand, the staff servicing the shark nets off Durban's Golden Mile (beachfront). It also provides a unique vantage point for views of Durban as you travel through the harbour and out to sea into the rising sun. Sharks are not always found in the nets but there will be ample opportunity to see and learn about the dolphins, seabirds and fish life that abound in South Africa's coastal waters. Bookings for this two-hour trip are essential. The boat is licensed for 10 passengers and departs from Durban Harbour. Departures are early in the morning, 05.00 in summer and 06.00 in winter, to coincide with servicing of the shark nets and to beat the wind of the day.

Reducing the chances of shark attack in KwaZulu-Natal
Your chances of being the victim of a shark attack, even at unprotected beaches, are extremely remote. On the whole of the South African coastline of approx. 3000km an average of four shark attacks per year took place in the last four decades, even though millions of people descend on the coastline annually during summer holidays. Of these shark attacks less than 30% resulted in serious injury and only 11% were fatal. However, to be on the safe side you can take the following precautions:

History of shark attacks and efforts to protect bathers
Warm water (19-26°C), a mild, subtropical climate and wave-lapped beaches have long attracted visitors and residents to the sea at Durban and the adjacent coastline of KwaZulu-Natal. Unfortunately, frequently in earlier years the pleasure of such visits has occasionally been marred by shark attacks. As early as 1907 the Durban City Council decided to erect a large semi-circular enclosure, approximately 180m in diameter, to protect swimmers against shark attack. The enclosure constructed of steel did not last very well and was demolished approx. 20 years later. For twelve years no shark attacks took place even though no shark protection was in place. However, in 1940 five shark attacks occurred close to Durban and between 1943 and 1951 Durban experienced 21 shark attacks, seven of which were fatal.

Desperate for a solution, the city authorities adopted a system that had been successfully used in Australia since 1937. There large-meshed gill nets anchored seaward of the breaker zone at several Sydney beaches not only trapped large sharks but also reduced the incidence of shark attack. In 1952 seven gill nets, each 130m long, were laid along the Durban beachfront. In the first year of operation 552 sharks were caught in these nets, but, more importantly, the desired effect was achieved and no serious shark-inflicted injuries have occurred since at Durban's beaches.

In Black December (1957) and Easter 1958 a series of attacks south of Durban, at unprotected beaches, claimed the lives of five people in 107 days. These incidents had a devastating effect on the coastal tourist industry and led to a mass exodus of panic-stricken holidaymakers. In response to this crisis several coastal towns erected unsightly barriers at their beaches but they were soon abandoned as they could not stand up to the heavy wave action. At some point a South African Navy frigate even resorted to dedicated depth-charging, which is known to have killed eight sharks but probably attracted more sharks to the area to feed on dead fish...