Historical reference record — not independently verified

Shark incident at Back Beach Durban Kwazulu Natal South Africa — 1897

ReportedUnknownUnknown

Original historical summary

The original reference is retained below. Supplementary source details appear in the fact panel; protected facts and unresolved differences remain unchanged.

A historical reference describes an event at Back Beach Durban Kwazulu Natal South Africa in 1897. Recorded activity: Unknown. Classification: Unknown. Outcome: Unknown.

Original reference details

  • Location recorded in the historical reference: Back Beach Durban Kwazulu Natal South Africa.
  • Date: 1897.
  • Activity: Unknown.
  • Classification: Unknown.
  • Outcome: Unknown.

Source limitations and unresolved differences

  • The retained evidence does not support a more precise activity; it remains Unknown.
  • The retained evidence does not support a more precise outcome; it remains Unknown.
  • The surviving evidence does not justify a more specific incident classification.
  • No shark species identification is supported by the retained evidence.
  • The date is intentionally shown with limited precision; no day is invented.
  • This restoration uses a supplied historical summary citing the general GSAF incident log, not a case-level primary document. It has not been independently verified.
  • The supplied source lists 1897-07-21; the existing reviewed date is retained pending case-level reconciliation.

Fact panel

Date
1897
Date precision
Year
Location
Back Beach Durban Kwazulu Natal South Africa
Country
South Africa
Activity
Wading after stray fish from seine netter’s catch
Incident classification
Unknown
Area / state
KwaZulu-Natal
Person / vessel
a young Indian boy
Sex
M
Time
Morning
Outcome
Unknown
Species
Unknown
Species confidence
Unknown
Coordinate precision
Region

Incident location

Back Beach, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Approximate area: KwaZulu-Natal
The marker represents the named area, not the exact incident site.

The interactive map loads when it comes into view. Incident details remain available as text.

Location precision: Approximate area

Representative map position for KwaZulu-Natal from Natural Earth. This marks the general area, not the exact incident site. This is historical location context, not live shark tracking or a measure of risk.

Sources and verification

Shark incident records can change as investigations develop. This page shows the current verification status and was last restored from supplied historical reference material on 2026-09-04.

Historical facts retain the provenance and uncertainty of the cited references. Source timestamps record when the supplied material was imported, not an independent source retrieval or verification.

Supplementary content updated: 2026-09-24. This does not change the original verification status or review date.