Hurghada hotels received a “categorical order” to check “anti-shark” protection, after which Hurghada’s beaches reopened, but not all. Dream Beach itself, where a shark attacked a person, remains closed. But for now, many fear a new shark attack.
We will remind you that the beach where the attack took place is a municipal beach, that is, tourists who live in hotels appear there in extremely small numbers. The entire surrounding area, as written by the Egyptian mass media, is “closed for a review of the security system and improvement of security standards.” Under these words hides, apparently, a tender for the purchase and installation of safety nets and shark deterrents, which is about to be announced.
In general, since the killer shark is caught, killed, and sent to researchers, Egypt begins to calm down. The authorities of the Red Sea province said that “no abnormal phenomena have been observed” and allowed the resumption of swimming in the sea and even water sports on the beaches of El Gouna and Hurghada, except for the closed danger zone.
However, so far fears that tourists will be afraid to go to Egypt after the tragedy are fresh – and generally justified. Hotels, as mentioned, received a categorical order to check the security system on the beaches, in particular the safety nets. We would like to remind you that tour operators have compiled a list of hotels in Hurghada, which you can read here.
In addition, hotels were obliged to organize special lifeguards, whose task will essentially be “protection from a fool.” They will have to monitor the stay of tourists only in areas safe for swimming. Moreover, it is supposed to be allocated for diving excursions and other activities at sea. Moreover, hotels and diving centers have been threatened with sudden official checks and “secret” checks on “shark safety”, and those who ignore them are threatened not only with a fine but also with closure.
The government also promises to allocate separate forces to monitor shark movements in the Red Sea. Recall that according to researchers, the entire summer period can be “shark-dangerous”, and the risk of shark attacks will remain at least until August. The reason is biology. As explained by Dr. Mahmoud Abdel-Radi, a marine environment professor at the National Institute of Marine Sciences in the Red Sea, the type of shark that attacked the tourist belongs to the infamous type of tiger shark that often attacks swimmers and divers. They live where the currents are quite warm, and even when the water warms up, sharks swim in shallow water. The main reason is to protect the cubs from being eaten by male sharks. At the same time, the dangerous season begins in May – when sharks are looking for a safe place and are aggressive – and lasts until August.
We will remind you that another terrible and unusual reason why a shark attacked and ate a Russian tourist in Hurghada was named by local fishermen. Ahmed al-Maghrabi, head of the Damietta fishing syndicate in Egypt, said that merchant ship owners often secretly dump dead or sick livestock in the open sea. What “feeds” sharks?