“Something Strange Is Happening”: Dead Crabs at Cape Town Beach Raise Concern

• A Cape Town content creator filmed hundreds of dead crabs washed up on Big Bay Beach
• The Moppers Lagoon was recently opened, and the polluted fresh water that came with it is believed to have played a role in dropping oxygen levels in the ocean
• South Africans in the comments said they had seen the same thing at beaches stretching to Paternoster

Cape Town content creator @thelifestylebuz shared a horrible scene on 23 February 2026 showing hundreds of dead crabs washed up along Big Bay Beach. He explained what he believed was behind the disturbing sight, pointing to the recent opening of Moppers Lagoon as a likely trigger. He said the lagoon released polluted fresh water into the ocean, and that the impact had clearly spread beyond the lagoon itself, reaching as far as Big Bay.

When fresh water enters the ocean, it sits on top of the heavier salt water rather than mixing with it properly. According to senior scientist Rocky Geyer from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, this kind of fresh and salt water interaction creates significant changes in oxygen levels and water quality in coastal areas. As the two water types fail to mix, bacteria break down the organic matter in the warmer, murkier water, using up oxygen in the process. Bottom-dwelling creatures like crabs cannot move fast enough to escape these low-oxygen pockets and end up suffocating.

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The gentleman warned people that if they notice dead crabs washing up, it is best to avoid swimming in those areas, particularly near river mouths.

This is not an isolated problem. Viewers in the comments confirmed they had seen similar scenes at beaches stretching along the West Coast, pointing to a pattern that has been building for some time.

Watch the Instagram video here.

SA unhappy with state of Cape Town beaches

Many shared their concern for the dead marine life and mentioned other areas with similar issues, as in Instagram user @thelifestylebuz's post:

@lyle_solomons said:

"Serves us well, we should be fishing crab commercially, given the numbers in our waters, this should be readily available and a staple in fish shops and restaurants. What a wasted opportunity for cheap protein."

@jaxalax18 added:

"Apparently, there was a sewage spill on Melkbos Beach. Very sad."

@bobbinrobrobyn wrote:

"This planet needs a long break from humans."

@bears_eyeview_ noted:

"It's been like this for years, mate, especially up along the West Coast in Paternoster."

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@shazzigirl said:

"Started spotting this in Langebaan last year."

@josh.dlm added:

"Was like this in Pringle Bay two weeks ago."

@tanayabellydance wrote:

"And in Yzerfontein."

@lilohmeow said:

"Haven't been swimming in years."

More on Cape Town oceans

• Briefly News recently reported on a young environmental activist who called one Cape Town beach the dirtiest she had ever cleaned.
• A Cape Town man proudly called his illegally built structure a beach house just five minutes from the ocean, leaving many asking how nobody had stopped it sooner.
• Boulders Beach in Cape Town was crowned the world's most unique beach by thousands of international voters.

Source: Briefly News