KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board is the provincial body responsible for the shark safety gear that protects bathing beaches along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. It was set up as a statutory organisation in 1962, when the netting that had begun off Durban was extended to other resorts, and it was formerly known as the Natal Sharks Board and, before that, the Natal Anti-Shark Measures Board. Its headquarters are in Umhlanga Rocks, and for visitors it offers one of the most unusual educational experiences in the Durban area.

The main event is a presentation followed by a shark dissection. A 26-minute audio-visual show uses aerial footage and close-up photography to explain how sharks sense their surroundings and their role as top predators in the ocean. Afterwards, a member of staff dissects a shark in front of the audience, showing its internal anatomy and explaining how the animal works. The headquarters also has a small museum and a curio shop. The safety programme itself, which uses nets and drumlines at 37 places along the coast, has been criticised by environmental groups because of the numbers of sharks, rays, turtles and dolphins caught, and the presentation is a good opportunity to ask questions about the debate.

For a different perspective, the board offers early-morning boat trips that leave through Durban harbour and head out to sea to watch operations staff service the safety gear off the Golden Mile beaches. These trips depend on the weather and must be arranged in advance with the board's boat-tour contact.

Shows take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 09:00 and 14:00, and on the first Sunday of each month at 14:00. A dissection needs a minimum of 15 people, so phone ahead to confirm before you travel. Ticket prices are modest, with reduced rates for children, pensioners and school groups, and very young children go free. The offices are open from Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00, and closed at weekends and on public holidays outside the monthly Sunday show.

The dissection is graphic, so it suits older children, teenagers, students and adults with an interest in marine biology more than toddlers. Allow about an hour and a half for the show and a look round the museum. The headquarters is on Herrwood Drive, inland from the Umhlanga Rocks seafront, so combine your visit with lunch in Umhlanga village or a walk along the promenade to the lighthouse.