Three ton dead whale closes Fish Hoek beach

Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town was closed on Tuesday because of the presence of a decaying whale carcass, a city official said.

The whale, weighing around three tons, initially washed ashore at Danger Beach, St James, in the morning, environmental policy and strategy head Gregg Oelofse said.

"Due to lack of vehicle access, the carcass was towed from the beach with the intended destination being Simon's Town so that the city's solid waste management department could dispose of the carcass," he said.

The carcass had to be left at Fish Hoek beach because it was extremely heavy, the wind was picking up and the water was too choppy for the towing boat.

Oelofse said the beach was closed to swimmers because the blubber slick could attract sharks.

"We hope to have the carcass ashore and removed before nightfall and will re-open the beach in the morning, following consultation with the shark spotters."