Janine Lochrenberg was killed by a shark while swimming off Orient Beach in South Africa on Tuesday. Police were called to the scene at around 7:00 am local time and found the body of the 65-year-old woman with open wounds.
The municipality closed nearby beaches after the attack and urged the public to stay out of the water. It said a shark attack occurred at Orient Beach that morning and resulted in a tragic incident.
Orient Beach in KuGompo City
Local media reported that Lochrenberg was a regular swimmer and had been in the water with a group when the attack happened. A local community group said other swimmers spotted a shark's tail and fin.
The community group said she sustained severe injuries to the right side of her arm and leg. A witness told public broadcaster SABC that the bites were very severe and that there were only two, one on her thigh and one on her upper arm.
South Africa in 2025
The attack adds to a record that remains uncommon but real. In 2025, there were 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide and nine fatalities. South Africa had one unprovoked attack in 2025, and it was fatal.
Researchers have pointed to coastal population growth, greater use of marine waters, environmental changes, and shifts in shark and prey distribution as factors that can influence encounters. At Orient Beach, those broad conditions met a swimmer in the water on a morning when a routine swim turned deadly.
The open question is the one left at the shoreline: who was the 65-year-old woman killed at Orient Beach?
