Shark Spotted During Open Water Swim Race, Official Rules It a 'Lane Violation'

An open water swimming race off the coast of Cape Town was briefly interrupted Saturday when a 3-meter bull shark entered the competition area, an incursion that race official Werner Buoy ruled was 'a lane violation by an unregistered competitor.' 'The shark entered the course at approximately the 750-meter mark,' Buoy wrote in his incident report. 'It was swimming in a manner consistent with competitive intent but had not registered for the event, was not wearing the required numbered swim cap, and did not possess valid FINA accreditation.' Buoy initially attempted to signal the shark with a yellow flag, the standard warning for a lane violation. When the shark did not respond, he escalated to a red flag and announced via loudspeaker: 'Competitor in lane 4, you are unaccredited. Please exit the course immediately.' The 23 human competitors, who had by this point noticed the shark, were already exiting the course at what officials described as 'remarkable speed for open water athletes, several of whom appeared to have discovered previously unknown sprint capabilities.' The shark completed approximately 200 meters of the course before veering off toward deeper water. Buoy assessed it a two-minute penalty, which he entered into the official record under the name 'Unknown — Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas).' 'Rules are rules,' Buoy told reporters. 'The shark swam in the competitive zone without authorization. If I let that slide, next race we'll have dolphins trying it, then sea turtles. You have to draw the line somewhere.' The race was restarted forty minutes later after a safety boat confirmed the shark had left the area. Three competitors did not return to the water, citing what one called 'a fundamental reassessment of my relationship with the ocean.'