The sea is a very dangerous place, but while most of us expect that danger to come from getting caught in a riptide or getting bit by a shark, few of us expect the danger to come from swimming in sewer water, which is what happened to kitesurfing influencer Michelle Sky Hayward when she went out swimming in Cape Town.
Her story, which was transmitted live as she was sharing a video on her feed, was quickly picked up and made viral, especially since her followers were commenting live things such as “You’re swimming in sewage” to get her to turn around and go to a safer part of the beach. In the video we can see her dive into sea foam and lose her balance, swallowing the allegedly contaminated water which in this case could have been heavily contaminated with E. coli, a bacterium that can cause serious infections if ingested.
This is not an isolated incident, as water needs to go somewhere and many countries are not that great at making sure that both water runoff that comes from the street and sewage water that ends up in the ocean are properly cleaned before hitting the beach. In fact, sometimes the pipes are even located conveniently close to bathing areas, making them even more dangerous for swimmers, especially small children.
Michelle Howard’s reaction to the sewage
Since the story went viral so quickly due to the livestream, it was quickly picked up by traditional media outlets like the Daily Mail, which only amplified its social media notoriety. Users left messages in the relevant and irrelevant pages stating things like “That foam is excrement!“, “That’s sewage water,” and “Did no one warn you before you went in?”, which were quite unhelpful after the event had already taken place.
While usually a small amount of bacteria is expected at every beach and body of water, the problem with these sewage pipes is that they contaminate a lot more than the naked eye can see and it is only after an outbreak that the authorities admit a mistake, fine the corresponding company or clean up the area. The problem is pervasive, and in fact it is not the first time in recent times that we have seen it happening in South African beaches, especially in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal, where high levels of E. coli have been repeatedly reported.
In recent years the problem has gotten so bad that several beaches have had to be temporarily closed either for cleanup it to wait until the levels were low enough to be safe once again. To compound the problem, information on pollution levels is not always available to visitors so they are put at risk repeatedly and without warning.
Hayward’s husband also reportedly voiced his concern over the incident, according to East Coast and in response to growing reactions online, the influencer offered a short but telling statement “I’m afraid I’ve made a serious mistake,” but there are no confirmed reports of her being sick or suffering any consequences from this unfortunate event.
Reactions both online and offline varied widely. While some were clearly disturbed by the footage, others brushed it off, with an increasing number of users suggesting that the foam could be naturally occurring, the result of wave activity rather than pollution. Comments ranged from skeptical reassurance ”It’s not from a sewer” to lighthearted takes like “This is how you boost your immune system” and “The ocean is the world’s biggest toilet.”
The mixed responses highlight how, in the absence of clear explanations from authorities, speculation can quickly fill the gap, with interpretations that range from funny to hazardous and that can be quite dangerous for those who are unaware of the extent of the issue.