“Event officials spotted a shark coming up from the north in the direction of the competition zone and put the heat on hold. Safety teams closely monitored and confirmed that the shark exited the competition zone (moving south past Boneyards). After activating our responses protocols, ensuring the area is now clear, and discussing with the athletes, we will resume the heat at 11:00 a.m. SAST” -WSL
The J-Bay Open held in Jeffreys Bay located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa was temporarily delayed due to a great white spotted in the competition zone. This is the same competition where Mick Fanning famously came face to face and fought off a great white while waiting for a wave during competition:
Here is the attack on Mick Fanning at the 2015 J-Bay Open:
