African Shark Eco-Charters told us they would take us out, but they seriously doubted we would see anything. Instead, they offered to switch our reservations to the White SharkDiving Company, which does trips out of Gansbaai (pronounced Hans Bay). No, those sharks don’t breach as often. But, yes, they were still seeing them (not in great numbers, but there was a much higher chance of seeing sharks).
So, we opted for the bird in the hand and switched to White Shark Diving.
They picked us up (including Matt and Tracee, whom we had met the night before) before dawn and drove us to Gansbaai (it is about a two-hour drive, compared to the 45 minutes to Simon’s Town, where the other trip departed).
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| Our route |
It was a pretty sunrise and we arrived to cool but clear weather, a little breeze and some light chop. They fed us breakfast, presented a safety lecture, provided warm jackets and the divers changed into bathing suits.
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| Alexis, Becca, Kristen, Kandice |
Then, we walked us across the street to the Boat. The boat wasn't docked. It was on a trailer. We climbed onboard and I went immediately to the top deck where I could get a good view.
Then, they backed the boat into the water, floated it off the trailer and we sped off through the surf. I have never been in a relatively large boat that had to negotiate in shallow water around rocks and through surf. But, that’s what we did.
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| I would not expect to launch a big boat here; Photo: Becca Stevens |
There were about 22 people on board, 16 of which were planning to dive. The ride was quite chilly, so I know they we all dreading the water.
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| Subantarctic Skua flying by; Photo: Becca Stevens |
Because it was going to be bumpy and potentially wet, I didn’t have my cameras out for the trip out, which I somewhat regret because a number of seabirds – Kelp Gulls and Subantarctic Skuas – flew alongside us the entire way out.
Turns out the crew feeds them as they head out.
And, from time to time, the gulls bite the hands that feed them. The crew wasn't happy about that!
It was as if the birds were suspended in the air right next to us, within arm’s reach. I later got some shots on the way back in, but I think the ride out was a bit more dramatic.
It was a short trip to where we dropped anchor.
At that point, the crew had everyone who was planning to dive get into their wetsuits.
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| Waiting to go |
Once the divers were all suited up, they nervously waited near the shark cage.
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| On the look-out |
For a short while, everyone just had to chill, while the crew gave us facts about sharks, the area and previous trips. They said that 2017 had been a weird year, with fewer shark sightings and a lot of cold, rainy weather. We felt lucky to have a pretty day -- and the possibility of sharks.
Because the water was cold, the crew didn't ask people to get in the cage before there was a shark sighting. But, I got the impression that things could happen quickly once a shark arrived, so everyone had to be ready.
Of course, there was a lot of excitement as we looked around, trying to see if there was anything in the vicinity. The water was a bit murky from the previous week’s storms, so it was hard to imagine how we could possibly see anything.
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| Shark food |
The crew threw out a frozen tuna head attached to a hook and began to chum the water. Immediately, a school of Harder (Mullet) attacked the tuna (that gave us a little clue of the water's visibility). Caty joined me on the top deck, where we got our cameras ready and kept watch for sharks, happily photographing birds and scenery at the same time.
Caty saw it first – an actual Great White Shark! It was swimming just below the surface, without the traditional exposed fin It just appeared from nowhere. Interestingly, we never saw a situation where a shark was lowly cruising with fin above the surface. You can't always see them coming.
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| Shark! |
I am not a great judge of size, but I am thinking that it was somewhere between 8 and 12 feet, based on how it looked next to the cage.
The crew quickly (very quickly -- it was momentary pandemonium) ushered half of the divers into the cage for a view.
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| Here we go! |
And, boy did they get one!
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| That is a BIG shark |
After they had their chance, the crew had them get out so the other half could get in.
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| We watched from above |
Once again, I am not going to try to do a chronological rundown of what happened. We had more non-divers than normal, so each group of eight got two times in the cage. Often, divers only get one shot at it.
During the morning, we saw …
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| One Great White Shark |
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| Two equally large Bronze Whaler Sharks |
It was a bit hard for me to tell them apart in the water, but the Great White has the iconic pointed nose …
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| A very pointed nose |
… while the Bronze Whaler as a much broader head with a blunt nose.
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| Blunt |
Becca had bought a special mask, which she did not get to use because they didn’t really need breathing devices. The cage, which attached to the side of the boat is only partially submerged and the divers just duck under for a view and come back up to breathe.
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| Looking down on the cage |
According to Becca, Alexis, Kandice and Kristin, the water was unbelievably cold. I am glad I didn’t dive. I don’t really love cold water and I got great shots from the top deck.
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| Videotaping with a GoPro |
The divers, however, were thrilled with their experience.
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| Happy girls: Becca, Kristen, Kandice, Alexis |
To see Alexis' underwater video, click here.
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| Getting a final shot |
Win, win all the way around. Nope, we didn’t see breaching sharks, but we did see sharks.
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| Taking a dive |
And, it was a beautiful morning.
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| Looking toward shore |
There were several other shark boats in the vicinity, but I believe we got the best shark exposure.
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| Another group |
In fact, when we went back in, the crew indicated that it wouldn’t be fair for us to not let the other boats have an equal opportunity.
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| Alexis |
So, we headed back, which was when I got a chance to photograph those birds flying beside us.
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| Subantarctic Skua |
After we went back in (bumping through the surf to the boat trailer), they served us lunch and drove us back with a couple of really cool stops.
Before I go through the stops, here’s a little shark lore from the White Shark Diving Company:
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| Dorsal fin |
Great White Sharks are apex predators (top of the food chain). They feed on the weakest prey first, thus ensuring survival of the fittest. They also consume carcasses of whales and other large marine creatures, thus keeping the ocean clean.
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| Look at those creepy eyes |
Classified a “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the between 353 and 522 Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa are facing extinction. Over the past 40 years, their populations have declined by 90 percent.
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| Splashing on the surface |
Great White Sharks can live to be 70 years old. Sharks have no bones; their skeletons are made of cartilage, which gives them better buoyancy.
Great White Sharks are among six species of endothermic sharks; they can raise their body temperature above the temperature of the ocean in which they live, which helps them hunt efficiently in deep cold water.
We thought we would be heading straight back home, but we had a pleasant surprise. First, we stopped at Hermanus, at a beautiful beach overlook ...
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| Hermanus; Photo: Becca Stevens |
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| Becca |
... where we were thrilled to see a Southern Right Whale out in the bay ...
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| Far away, but cool |
That’s a new Whale for me. It wasn’t breaching, but it was active. While we were taking pictures of the Whale, we also noticed a Sea Lion right by the look-out. Well, we call it a Sea Lion. It was actually a Cape Fur Seal (which is technically a Sea Lion, but is called a Seal – confusing, but whatever). The “Seal” had something in its mouth that I though was kelp until Caty zoomed into her camera and discovered that it was an Octopus.
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| How cool is that, a Cape Fur Seal lunching on Octopus! |
Very, very cool.There were also a number of Dassies, which I had assumed were just mountain animals – it was like seeing Marmots scampering on the seashore. We later saw some in the Bush, so apparently, they live in many different habitats.
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| Dassies are related to Elephants |
We also saw a few Chacma Baboons scampering down the road right by the busy highway. I guess that's why the urban Baboons are endangered.
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| Just a sign |
I didn’t get a shot of the Baboons (no problem because I got many good Baboon shots later), but the sign was amusing. The locals find the Baboons annoying because they break into homes to steal food, harass tourists, run out into traffic and generally are a nuisance.
Of course, as tourists, we were always thrilled to see them.
So, let's recap the day -- which was a really long one (and wasn't even over yet -- the rest will be in the next post). We saw new birds!
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| Flying by |
We saw sharks!
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| Swimming by |
We saw a Whale!
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| Cruising by |
We saw more Dassies!
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| Standing by |
We saw a Cape Fur Seal -- catching his lunch!
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| Lunching |
We took lots of pictures!
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| Doing selfies |
The divers bought new tee-shirts!
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| Kandice, Becca, Alexis, Kristen |
And, the most important thing about the day: Becca got her opportunity to dive with Great White Sharks. After years of planning, I am so glad we had a beautiful day and three very cooperative sharks.
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| My happy baby |
Trip date: August 25-September 9, 2017
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