Shark expert heads for Cape waters

Their daughter, Vanessa lives in Kommetjie, where the Cobbs hope to settle, and their son Christopher works at the University of the Western Cape.
Andy, who is renowned for his opposition to the KZN Sharks Board’s continued use of shark nets and drumlines, moved to SA in 1981 to start co-operative farming in the tribal areas. He is an internationally recognised shark expert who has logged 900 underwater hours with sharks. He pioneered shark diving and led the first chartered dives to Aliwal Shoal in 1981 and Protea Banks in 1991. He also motivated Aliwal Shoal to be recognised as a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
He was the recipient of three international awards, the KwaZulu-Nature Conservation Award in 1998 for getting Aliwal Shoal recognised, the Shark Guardian in 2005 in Dusseldorf, Germany, and the Whale’s Tail in 2007 in Canada. He has also featured in a BBC documentary.
He is an honorary member of the Sharkproject and their shark ambassador to South Africa and his passion has always been the conservation of sharks. “I moved to Toti in 1981, which was a long time ago, so it’s been stressful to pack up,” said Andy, who has vowed to continue fighting for the conservation of sharks.
“I will miss the ragged-tooth shark, which opened up my understanding of sharks. I will also miss my garden, which is indigenous. The bonus of moving to the Cape is two fellow shark warriors are there – Dr Leonard Compagno and Lesley Rochat. Jane is into plants and I’m fascinated by animal behaviour, so we will miss the bush, but there are still quite a few areas in the Cape we can disappear into.”