By Caryn Dolley
Twelve suspected perlemoen poachers, resurfacing from a dive off Robben Island in the pitch dark early on Thursday, thought they were loading their haul into a boat manned by three of their friends.
But the boat had already been seized by the police and the suspected poachers made a dash for it, swimming over one nautical mile (1,85km) to Robben Island in a vain bid to escape.
Throughout Wednesday night and the small hours of on Thursday morning, a number of police officers had been positioned at sea, on the island and even in a helicopter to keep an eye on things from above.
In the end they nabbed 17 suspected poachers in swoops at Hout Bay and Robben Island.
At least 77 perlemoen and two "superduck" inflatable boats, each fitted with two 200 horsepower Mercury engines, and with a top speed of up to 80km/h, were confiscated.
Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) spokesperson Carol Moses said all those who had been involved in the operation were "exhausted".
"They worked from (Wednesday) afternoon and throughout the night until the morning.
"They're really tired now. It was a long but successful operation," she said.
Police and Environmental Affairs Department officers had positioned themselves at sea and on the island late on Wednesday in preparation for clamping down on suspected poachers.
At 2.30am they spotted a boat a nautical mile from Robben Island, one of the four areas in which the Environmental Affairs Department has declared a total ban on all diving in a bid to protect wild perlemoen.
Moses said the boat was searched and three men were arrested.
Police then spotted 12 divers still at sea and waited for them in the poachers' boat.
"When the suspects realised their boat was taken over by law enforcement officials, they swam to the island where they attempted to hide," Moses said.
A search, also involving Robben Island security guards, was launched and the 12 suspects, all from Hawston, were eventually found and arrested.
All 15 suspects, aged from 22 to 37 years, were brought to Cape Town harbour and face charges of contravening the Marine Living Resources Act.
They were brought to the harbour in their own boat, lying in a pile on the deck as police watched over them.
They were then taken in vehicles to the Table Bay Harbour police station.
The 15 are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court soon.
About an hour before the men were arrested, two others were nabbed in Hout Bay.
Police spokesperson Bernadine Steyn said while police and MCM officers were watching the harbour area, a boat with three people aboard came ashore at 1am.
A silver Mazda bakkie pulled it out the water and officers went down to inspect it.
Steyn said the skipper, 21, from Gansbaai, was arrested for contravening the Merchant Shipping Act.
The driver of the bakkie, who is from Hawston, was also arrested for having an outstanding arrest warrant for perlemoen dealing.
Their boat was confiscated and the two are expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court soon.
Moses said 15 of the suspects arrived at the Table Bay police station shortly before 1pm.
She said a nine-metre "superduck" boat, 77 perlemoen and perlemoen-shucking equipment had been confiscated.
"The perlemoen haven't been weighed yet and so we
haven't yet determined what they're worth."
The 17 arrests came weeks after diving ban regulations kicked in at the beginning of the month.
Moses said the arrests showed "the might of collaborative enforcement against poaching and illegal diving".