Sun. Nov 10th, 2024
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In the island paradise of New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa, it’s illegal to swim in the sea — except along a 200-metre stretch of beach.

The months-long swimming ban came into effect across Nouméa in February, shortly after Australian tourist Chris Davis died following a shark attack at the popular Chateau Royal beach.

In May, heavily-restricted swimming was permitted at a roped-off area at Baies des Citrons.

The ban — which is on track to be lifted by the end of the year — is a stopgap measure, but it has hit New Caledonia’s tourism industry hard

Francisco Maie owns a bar across the road from Anse Vata beach, which is now largely deserted.

“Certainly the economic impact has affected our work, that’s for sure,” he told ABC’s The Pacific program.

A man smiling wearing a red hoodie with denim jacket sitting at empty bar outside.
Francisco Maie owns a bar across from Anse Vata beach, which is largely deserted since the swimming ban.(ABC News: Gabriella Marchant)

“When tourists arrive and see our beaches closed, honestly, they find that stupid, because where they come from, shark attacks occur and they’re worse than here.”

Tour operator Alfred Nauka told the ABC his business was down by 60 per cent, and the lack of swimming meant a large cohort of tourists on cruise ships chose to stay on board rather than exploring the beaches.

“I cannot wait until the beach or the water opens,” he said.

A man wearing cap and sunglasses sitting at steering wheel in car.

Alfred Nauka has altered his tour buisness to be focused more on cultural experiences due to the swimming ban.(ABC News)

The months-long swimming restrictions meant some in his industry were going to work in the country’s nickel mines.

“They wanted to work in the city, but now they have no more choice — they have to go back to the mines,” he said.

“We have to do something to … get the bread and butter on the table.”

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Rise in fatal shark attacks

Since 1958, there have been 76 shark attacks documented in the Pacific island nation, with 17 of them fatal.

This year alone has seen four shark attacks, two of them lethal.

For its small population of 270,000, the rate of shark attacks is increasing, and it’s one of the highest per capita in the world, according to Claude Maillaud, a shark attack expert at the University of New Caledonia.

“If you compare the last 20 years of the 20th century, with the first 20 years of the 21st century, we have a double-fold increase in shark attacks,” he said.

“Shark attacks are increasing worldwide. So New Caledonia is not an exception — we are following this trend.”

People sitting on a beach at Baie des Citrons. 

A roped-off section of water was opened for swimming at Baie des Citrons in May, but a broader ban remains in place.(ABC News: Nicolas Job)

Dr Maillaud said it’s difficult to pinpoint the reason for the increase, and little is known about the size of New Caledonia’s shark population.

But he said that a decade-long protection on fishing tiger and bull sharks could have bolstered the population.

Those protections were removed in 2021, causing dismay to many in the local Kanak Indigenous population, for whom sharks are considered a sacred totem.

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