First great white shark in 20 months spotted in Cape Town bay

Spotting a shark in the wild is usually cause for alarm, but when one was seen in South Africa's False Bay recently it sparked jubilation rather than fear.

Great white sharks had been absent from the Cape Town locale for the past 20 months.

The deadly predators had been one of the city's best tourist attractions, as they flocked to the aptly-named Seal Island in the bay to hunt their favoured prey.

"Seal Island is probably the world's most famous location for seeing great white sharks," shark expert and tour boat operator Chris Fallows told CNN last year.

It was Mr Fallows who claimed to have seen the new great white, which he estimated measured four metres in length.

The absence of the iconic animals dealt a heavy blow to the tourist industry of Cape Town.

Explanations advanced for their disappearance included migration and low population numbers leading to inbreeding.

An increase in commercial fishing was also blamed.

Sightings prior to the start of the decline in 2016 averaged more than 200 in spring and summer.

City of Cape Town official Gregg Oelofse told South African website News24 the city welcomed the sighting, but it was too early to know what it signified.

"We are monitoring the situation and will only be able to determine the significance, or a possible return of the great white sharks to False Bay, once more sharks are sighted over an extended period of time," he said.