“WE ARE HERE, JANINE” — HEARTBREAKING FINAL MOMENTS OF BELOVED 65-YEAR-OLD SWIMMER KILLED BY SHARK

Janine Lochrenberg was doing what she loved most — swimming in the ocean alongside friends. But when she suddenly signalled that something was wrong, fellow swimmers raced to help. Their desperate efforts to bring her safely to shore became a moment her community will never forget.

A beloved open-water swimmer has been remembered for her kindness, courage and deep love of the sea after she died following a shark attack off South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast.

Janine Lochrenberg, 65, was swimming near Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly known as East London, on the morning of October 20, 2026, when she was seriously injured in the water.

Members of her swimming community rushed towards her after realising she was in trouble. Among them was journalist and fellow swimmer Mike Loewe, who later shared a deeply personal account of the desperate effort to rescue his friend.

As they supported Janine in the water and slowly tried to bring her back towards the beach, Loewe repeatedly reassured her with the words: “We are here, Janine.”

Despite their efforts, she could not be saved. She was declared dead on the beach.

Her death has left her partner, Barbara Briceland, and the wider open-water swimming community devastated.

A MORNING THAT BEGAN LIKE SO MANY OTHERS

For Janine, swimming was not simply a hobby. It was a way of life.

She regularly swam in the ocean around Orient Beach and had spent years exploring coastal and river swimming locations with friends. Those who knew her described someone who was comfortable in the water and deeply connected to the natural world.

On the morning of the tragedy, the group entered the sea for another swim.

The conditions appeared inviting, and the swimmers were familiar with the area. But a short time later, shouting and waving from a group farther out in the water alerted others that something was wrong.

Loewe and other swimmers made their way towards them as quickly as they could.

When Loewe reached Janine, he saw severe injuries to her upper right thigh and arm. He realised she had been attacked by a shark.

Janine was still alive.

The swimmers immediately moved into position to support her, trying to keep her head above the water while helping her remain afloat.

The situation was frightening, but the group focused on the task in front of them: getting their friend back to shore.

“WE ARE HERE, JANINE”

Loewe later described the rescue as a quiet and unsettling experience.

He and another swimmer supported Janine from either side while Barbara Briceland and another member of the group hurried back towards shore to seek assistance.

At times, Janine’s head fell back into the water, forcing the swimmers beside her to keep supporting her and ensure she could breathe.

They began paddling slowly towards the beach, using their legs and free arms to move through the water while keeping her supported.

Loewe recalled wondering what anyone could possibly say in such a moment.

For him, the words came naturally: “We are here, Janine.”

He repeated them as the group continued its effort to bring her to safety.

The words have since become a poignant expression of the care and solidarity that defined those final moments — friends staying beside someone they loved when she needed them most.

But the rescue was an enormous physical challenge, and the injuries Janine had sustained were devastating. Despite the swimmers’ efforts and the assistance that followed, her life could not be saved.

A WOMAN WHO FOUND HER HAPPINESS IN THE SEA

Following Janine’s death, the East London Open Water Swimming community shared an emotional tribute.

Friends described her as someone who preferred to avoid the spotlight and quietly devote herself to what she loved.

“The ocean was Janine’s happy place,” the group said, remembering the joy she found in swimming and the special experiences she shared with others.

They also praised her beautiful smile, gentle kindness and the meaningful presence she brought to their swimming community.

Other friends remembered her as intelligent, talented and an exceptionally thoughtful listener.

For many, Janine was part of a close-knit group whose friendships had been built over countless swims, adventures and shared experiences in the water.

Her death has left what fellow swimmers described as an enormous hole in their ocean family.

The tributes paint a picture of someone whose importance to others went far beyond her ability as a swimmer. She was a friend whose warmth and quiet generosity had become part of everyday life for those around her.

A LIFE SHARED WITH BARBARA BRICELAND

Janine’s partner, Barbara Briceland, was also among the swimmers in the water that morning.

The couple shared a love of swimming and adventure, visiting different rivers and coastal locations together.

Their friends remembered the pair’s enthusiasm for exploring new places and celebrating milestones through the activities they loved.

In one particularly meaningful adventure, they swam at 70 different ocean and river venues to mark Barbara’s 70th birthday.

The journey reflected their shared spirit of adventure and the central role that swimming played in their lives.

Now, Barbara and those closest to Janine are facing a loss that no shared adventure could have prepared them for.

The memories of their time together remain, but the place that once brought them happiness has become inseparable from the tragedy of that morning.

AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE THE FATAL ATTACK

Police were called to Orient Beach at approximately 7 a.m. and found Janine with serious open wounds.

An inquest was opened to investigate the circumstances of her death.

Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality subsequently closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach while safety assessments were carried out. Officials urged the public to remain out of the water at the affected beaches and follow instructions from authorities.

Marine experts who later examined descriptions and photographs of the injuries suggested that a great white shark was likely responsible. However, the precise circumstances of the attack remain subject to investigation.

The incident has drawn renewed attention to the risks faced by open-water swimmers, particularly in areas where sharks are known to inhabit coastal waters.

Janine and her fellow swimmers were experienced ocean enthusiasts, but the tragedy demonstrated how quickly conditions can change and how little time people may have to respond when a serious incident occurs.

HER COMMUNITY WILL RETURN TO THE OCEAN — WITH HEAVY HEARTS

For the swimmers who knew Janine, the sea was never simply a place of danger.

It was where they found peace, challenged themselves, built friendships and experienced the freedom of moving through open water.

Loewe acknowledged the profound shock of losing a friend in circumstances they had all hoped never to face.

Yet the community’s connection to the ocean remains strong. Their grief exists alongside a determination to remember Janine for the life she lived and the joy she found in swimming.

That does not diminish the risks or make the loss any easier. It reflects the depth of the bond she shared with those who entered the water alongside her.

For the people who knew her best, returning to the ocean will carry a different meaning now. Each swim will bring memories of the friend whose presence is suddenly missing.

REMEMBERING JANINE BEYOND THE TRAGEDY

Janine Lochrenberg was 65, recently retired from her work as a nuclear radiographer and a talented musician who also found fulfilment in the ocean.

She was a partner, a friend and a valued member of a community built around a shared passion.

Her final swim was marked by frightening circumstances, but the story of her life is also one of friendship, courage and the simple happiness she found in doing what she loved.

The words spoken beside her in the water remain a powerful reminder of the people who stayed with her when the emergency unfolded.

“We are here, Janine.”

They could not change the outcome, but they captured the care and determination of the friends who refused to leave her alone in her final moments.

Janine’s community will remember her beautiful smile, her kindness and the many journeys she shared with those she loved. The ocean was her happy place — and although it is now connected to an unbearable loss, the memories she created there will remain part of the lives she touched.

Police have opened an inquest into Janine Lochrenberg’s death. The exact circumstances of the attack remain under investigation.

Janine Lochrenberg was doing what she loved most — swimming in the ocean alongside friends. But when she suddenly signalled that something was wrong, fellow swimmers raced to help. Their desperate efforts to bring her safely to shore became a moment her community will never forget.

A beloved open-water swimmer has been remembered for her kindness, courage and deep love of the sea after she died following a shark attack off South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast.

Janine Lochrenberg, 65, was swimming near Orient Beach in KuGompo City, formerly known as East London, on the morning of October 20, 2026, when she was seriously injured in the water.

Members of her swimming community rushed towards her after realising she was in trouble. Among them was journalist and fellow swimmer Mike Loewe, who later shared a deeply personal account of the desperate effort to rescue his friend.

As they supported Janine in the water and slowly tried to bring her back towards the beach, Loewe repeatedly reassured her with the words: “We are here, Janine.”

Despite their efforts, she could not be saved. She was declared dead on the beach.

Her death has left her partner, Barbara Briceland, and the wider open-water swimming community devastated.

A MORNING THAT BEGAN LIKE SO MANY OTHERS

For Janine, swimming was not simply a hobby. It was a way of life.

She regularly swam in the ocean around Orient Beach and had spent years exploring coastal and river swimming locations with friends. Those who knew her described someone who was comfortable in the water and deeply connected to the natural world.

On the morning of the tragedy, the group entered the sea for another swim.

The conditions appeared inviting, and the swimmers were familiar with the area. But a short time later, shouting and waving from a group farther out in the water alerted others that something was wrong.

Loewe and other swimmers made their way towards them as quickly as they could.

When Loewe reached Janine, he saw severe injuries to her upper right thigh and arm. He realised she had been attacked by a shark.

Janine was still alive.

The swimmers immediately moved into position to support her, trying to keep her head above the water while helping her remain afloat.

The situation was frightening, but the group focused on the task in front of them: getting their friend back to shore.

“WE ARE HERE, JANINE”

Loewe later described the rescue as a quiet and unsettling experience.

He and another swimmer supported Janine from either side while Barbara Briceland and another member of the group hurried back towards shore to seek assistance.

At times, Janine’s head fell back into the water, forcing the swimmers beside her to keep supporting her and ensure she could breathe.

They began paddling slowly towards the beach, using their legs and free arms to move through the water while keeping her supported.

Loewe recalled wondering what anyone could possibly say in such a moment.

For him, the words came naturally: “We are here, Janine.”

He repeated them as the group continued its effort to bring her to safety.

The words have since become a poignant expression of the care and solidarity that defined those final moments — friends staying beside someone they loved when she needed them most.

But the rescue was an enormous physical challenge, and the injuries Janine had sustained were devastating. Despite the swimmers’ efforts and the assistance that followed, her life could not be saved.

A WOMAN WHO FOUND HER HAPPINESS IN THE SEA

Following Janine’s death, the East London Open Water Swimming community shared an emotional tribute.

Friends described her as someone who preferred to avoid the spotlight and quietly devote herself to what she loved.

“The ocean was Janine’s happy place,” the group said, remembering the joy she found in swimming and the special experiences she shared with others.

They also praised her beautiful smile, gentle kindness and the meaningful presence she brought to their swimming community.

Other friends remembered her as intelligent, talented and an exceptionally thoughtful listener.

For many, Janine was part of a close-knit group whose friendships had been built over countless swims, adventures and shared experiences in the water.

Her death has left what fellow swimmers described as an enormous hole in their ocean family.

The tributes paint a picture of someone whose importance to others went far beyond her ability as a swimmer. She was a friend whose warmth and quiet generosity had become part of everyday life for those around her.

A LIFE SHARED WITH BARBARA BRICELAND

Janine’s partner, Barbara Briceland, was also among the swimmers in the water that morning.

The couple shared a love of swimming and adventure, visiting different rivers and coastal locations together.

Their friends remembered the pair’s enthusiasm for exploring new places and celebrating milestones through the activities they loved.

In one particularly meaningful adventure, they swam at 70 different ocean and river venues to mark Barbara’s 70th birthday.

The journey reflected their shared spirit of adventure and the central role that swimming played in their lives.

Now, Barbara and those closest to Janine are facing a loss that no shared adventure could have prepared them for.

The memories of their time together remain, but the place that once brought them happiness has become inseparable from the tragedy of that morning.

AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE THE FATAL ATTACK

Police were called to Orient Beach at approximately 7 a.m. and found Janine with serious open wounds.

An inquest was opened to investigate the circumstances of her death.

Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality subsequently closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach while safety assessments were carried out. Officials urged the public to remain out of the water at the affected beaches and follow instructions from authorities.

Marine experts who later examined descriptions and photographs of the injuries suggested that a great white shark was likely responsible. However, the precise circumstances of the attack remain subject to investigation.

The incident has drawn renewed attention to the risks faced by open-water swimmers, particularly in areas where sharks are known to inhabit coastal waters.

Janine and her fellow swimmers were experienced ocean enthusiasts, but the tragedy demonstrated how quickly conditions can change and how little time people may have to respond when a serious incident occurs.

HER COMMUNITY WILL RETURN TO THE OCEAN — WITH HEAVY HEARTS

For the swimmers who knew Janine, the sea was never simply a place of danger.

It was where they found peace, challenged themselves, built friendships and experienced the freedom of moving through open water.

Loewe acknowledged the profound shock of losing a friend in circumstances they had all hoped never to face.

Yet the community’s connection to the ocean remains strong. Their grief exists alongside a determination to remember Janine for the life she lived and the joy she found in swimming.

That does not diminish the risks or make the loss any easier. It reflects the depth of the bond she shared with those who entered the water alongside her.

For the people who knew her best, returning to the ocean will carry a different meaning now. Each swim will bring memories of the friend whose presence is suddenly missing.

REMEMBERING JANINE BEYOND THE TRAGEDY

Janine Lochrenberg was 65, recently retired from her work as a nuclear radiographer and a talented musician who also found fulfilment in the ocean.

She was a partner, a friend and a valued member of a community built around a shared passion.

Her final swim was marked by frightening circumstances, but the story of her life is also one of friendship, courage and the simple happiness she found in doing what she loved.

The words spoken beside her in the water remain a powerful reminder of the people who stayed with her when the emergency unfolded.

“We are here, Janine.”

They could not change the outcome, but they captured the care and determination of the friends who refused to leave her alone in her final moments.

Janine’s community will remember her beautiful smile, her kindness and the many journeys she shared with those she loved. The ocean was her happy place — and although it is now connected to an unbearable loss, the memories she created there will remain part of the lives she touched.

Police have opened an inquest into Janine Lochrenberg’s death. The exact circumstances of the attack remain under investigation.