Surfers try to break record

Surfers around the world may complain about crowded conditions, but for dozens of South Africa wave riders it was the more the merrier as they lined up to break a world record by riding a single wave.



Organizers of an event on Sunday that saw 73 surfers -- ages 7 to 67 -- ride the same wave for five seconds say they broke a Guinness Book of Records best of 44 people in Ireland.

More than 1,000 onlookers watched from the beach near Cape Town and videographers documented the stunt, but the results have yet to be officially verified.

The event was a fundraiser for the Shark Spotters, a safety program under which people with binoculars, flags and sirens at two popular beaches near Cape Town warn swimmers of lurking sharks, which are common in the area.

A South African lifeguard last month had his foot bitten off and later amputated in hospital when a shark attacked him during a training exercise off a beach near Cape Town.

Great white sharks are a protected species in South Africa, but they are blamed for many of the country's fatal attacks. The balance of how to keep swimmers safe and protect sharks is a subject of debate.

"More needs to be done. At the moment, one step off the planet into the ocean and you're at your own risk," said Paul Botha, an organizer of the event.