Meet Ashley Sullivan, Shark Spotter

Ashley's years of experience in marine life have given the chance to work in a job he is passionate about. In this article he tells us all about it.

Ashley is a shark spotter in Cape Town’s Fish Hoek Beach; a beach which runs 1.5 kilometres along the Fish Hoek coastal town. He gave us a sneak peek into his day-to-day job so we could learn more about his critical role in protecting swimmers and preserving sharks, especially during the holidays.

Ashley tells us that he has always had a great love and respect for the ocean, and that his previous job required him to spend a lot of his time by the ocean. “I heard about the shark spotting programme through a friend who was a shark spotter, and I found the programme very interesting,” Ashley says, adding that, “I liked the idea of providing a shark safety service to the community.”

When positions for shark spotters were open, Ashley applied and landed himself the job with Shark Spotters; a non-profit organisation that aims to improve beach safety on Cape Town beaches. Shark spotters are responsible for providing shark warnings to beach goers and emergency assistance in the event of a shark incident.

Ashley is passionate about marine life, and his experience over the years has thought him a lot about sharks. “I’ve learnt to distinguish and identify different animals from up on a mountain, which is a skill that not many people can do,” Ashley tells us.

When we asked Ashely what he loves most about his job, he mentioned the unpredictability of the job. “Each day is different; you never know what to expect and you can never prepare yourself,” he says. “Each day comes with its own challenges and experiences which makes for an interesting job. One day you may see a lot of different marine activity, the next day nothing. Sometimes we have shark sightings for days on end and at other times there will be long periods of time where no sharks are sighted,” he explains.

Ashley also loves the fact that his job gives him the opportunity to contribute to his community. “Through the programme I’ve been able to show that people and sharks can live in harmony. To get that same love and respect that I have back from the community is very rewarding.”

Here we leak some behind-the-scenes shots.

Being a shark spotter takes a lot of hard work, motivation and dedication, Ashely explains. “The job comes with a big responsibility.” Ashely suggest that shark spotting is a great job for people who would like to provide a safety service to the community and in turn would like to contribute to the conservation of sharks and prove that co-existence between people and sharks is possible.

Most importantly, Ashley stresses the importance of “following your passion, working hard, and staying motivated and dedicated.”

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