You’re in a cage… the shark’s in the water?
Remember that scene in White Shark part 1?
Let me tell you that the first time I found out that you can see these awesome creatures in their natural habitat by sitting like a rabbit in a small metal cage I wanted to do that.
In today’s time where most people know more about Sharks and Nazis due to National Geographic than 10 years ago white Shark diving is good business in Cape Town South Africa.
However not all of the companies will guarantee you white shark sightings, for that you have to travel a little further to goosbay and a little place called Shark alee now famous due
to national Geographic.
No place on this Planet has a higher concentration of white sharks and I was about to find out why.
We booked with www.white-shark-diving.com a month in advance, they are pretty booked out and this particular organisation is well known an probably the best out there.
0530 pickup in Table Bay and after a 3 hour drive were where finally there.
After a small breakfast and a nice safety briefing and the interesting aspect that we cannot scuba dive because the bubbles scare the sharks we were finally on the boat on our way with 12 other passengers to shark alley.
The choppy ride (the Atlantic ocean is quite rough) we finally arrived at our spot not far away from a small rocky island with about (I’m not kidding) 1000+ fat seals.
I was under the impression that it would take some time for the sharks to come up and check us out but low and behold the minute one of the helpers put the bait out what concisted of some
Tuna heads a second later a smaller white shark checked out the bate and decided it’s nothing he likes and moved on.
Obviously we got quite excited and hurried up to get into our wetsuits, as soon we had this done the first 6 people got into the cage.
I can only describe my experience with these magnificent animals as amazing, they are nothing I thought they would be, if I had to describe them in 3 words after seeing them I would choose
Gentle (I know it sound crazy but I will explain this later) Cautious and curious.
Let me assure you that National Geographic portrays these animals in the worst way possible, I have talked to some of the men on board and they know national Geographic well and said they film for some time and then of course take out the best and goriest bits.
In all the time I have seen sharks and there were plenty from very small to up to 4+ meters large (and let me tell you 4 meter doesn’t sound much but when you see that underwater it looks like a bus)
None of them have shown the crazy behaviour the like to show on TV.
The biggest shark we saw was a female who was probably a little bigger than 4 meters, she came up from below were the water is a little milky and according to the Shark expert on the boat must have been around for a while observing the scene for a while before deciding it’s save enough to swim up and take a bite.
I only spotted her because I love to look down (it gives me a little bit the creeps because it’s all black down there) and I just spotted here when I nearly had no air left, she didn’t come up fast but rather slowly casual and I couldn’t believe how big she was. That particular shark stayed with the boat for quite some time and gave good opportunities for some good shots.
All in all this experience has radically changed my view on white sharks, I never really believed that these animals are simply out to kill but I after seeing them and experience firsthand how cautious
And easily scared they I know it sounds crazy but everybody in the boat including my wife said the same thing that we were all under the impression that they absolutely no interest (from a food point of view) what so ever.
In fact many thought that the aspect of free diving (there are more and more people who do that) is not so crazy at all.
Think of this, a couple of month before we went out to see these animals a freak wave capsized a boat and all on board were in the water for more than 5 min, now that’s a long time with god knows how many apex predators around who are all surface feeders
and none of them were touched or hurt apart from the 2 people who drowned.
After 3 hours watching sharks we and the sharks became a little tired and it was time to move back but before that we just stopped by the little island with the 1000+ doomed seals.
It was fascinating to observe them and let me tell you if they have to leave the island they don’t mess around, they go straight to bottom and stay there until they have the worse behind them.
In fact one of the guys told me after I asked them were all the scratches and scars on the sharks nose come from, that when the seals spot the sharks first they actually swim down and bite them into the nose to scare them away, they are tough little ******** and you cannot help but feel form them.
But hey the sharks have to eat lucky it wasn’t us for that day
If you are in South Africa you have to do this, it's an amazing experience, and since white sharks are endangered animals who knows how long we have them around.
Remember that scene in White Shark part 1?
Let me tell you that the first time I found out that you can see these awesome creatures in their natural habitat by sitting like a rabbit in a small metal cage I wanted to do that.
In today’s time where most people know more about Sharks and Nazis due to National Geographic than 10 years ago white Shark diving is good business in Cape Town South Africa.
However not all of the companies will guarantee you white shark sightings, for that you have to travel a little further to goosbay and a little place called Shark alee now famous due
to national Geographic.
No place on this Planet has a higher concentration of white sharks and I was about to find out why.
We booked with www.white-shark-diving.com a month in advance, they are pretty booked out and this particular organisation is well known an probably the best out there.
0530 pickup in Table Bay and after a 3 hour drive were where finally there.
After a small breakfast and a nice safety briefing and the interesting aspect that we cannot scuba dive because the bubbles scare the sharks we were finally on the boat on our way with 12 other passengers to shark alley.
The choppy ride (the Atlantic ocean is quite rough) we finally arrived at our spot not far away from a small rocky island with about (I’m not kidding) 1000+ fat seals.
I was under the impression that it would take some time for the sharks to come up and check us out but low and behold the minute one of the helpers put the bait out what concisted of some
Tuna heads a second later a smaller white shark checked out the bate and decided it’s nothing he likes and moved on.
Obviously we got quite excited and hurried up to get into our wetsuits, as soon we had this done the first 6 people got into the cage.
I can only describe my experience with these magnificent animals as amazing, they are nothing I thought they would be, if I had to describe them in 3 words after seeing them I would choose
Gentle (I know it sound crazy but I will explain this later) Cautious and curious.
Let me assure you that National Geographic portrays these animals in the worst way possible, I have talked to some of the men on board and they know national Geographic well and said they film for some time and then of course take out the best and goriest bits.
In all the time I have seen sharks and there were plenty from very small to up to 4+ meters large (and let me tell you 4 meter doesn’t sound much but when you see that underwater it looks like a bus)
None of them have shown the crazy behaviour the like to show on TV.
The biggest shark we saw was a female who was probably a little bigger than 4 meters, she came up from below were the water is a little milky and according to the Shark expert on the boat must have been around for a while observing the scene for a while before deciding it’s save enough to swim up and take a bite.
I only spotted her because I love to look down (it gives me a little bit the creeps because it’s all black down there) and I just spotted here when I nearly had no air left, she didn’t come up fast but rather slowly casual and I couldn’t believe how big she was. That particular shark stayed with the boat for quite some time and gave good opportunities for some good shots.
All in all this experience has radically changed my view on white sharks, I never really believed that these animals are simply out to kill but I after seeing them and experience firsthand how cautious
And easily scared they I know it sounds crazy but everybody in the boat including my wife said the same thing that we were all under the impression that they absolutely no interest (from a food point of view) what so ever.
In fact many thought that the aspect of free diving (there are more and more people who do that) is not so crazy at all.
Think of this, a couple of month before we went out to see these animals a freak wave capsized a boat and all on board were in the water for more than 5 min, now that’s a long time with god knows how many apex predators around who are all surface feeders
and none of them were touched or hurt apart from the 2 people who drowned.After 3 hours watching sharks we and the sharks became a little tired and it was time to move back but before that we just stopped by the little island with the 1000+ doomed seals.
It was fascinating to observe them and let me tell you if they have to leave the island they don’t mess around, they go straight to bottom and stay there until they have the worse behind them.
In fact one of the guys told me after I asked them were all the scratches and scars on the sharks nose come from, that when the seals spot the sharks first they actually swim down and bite them into the nose to scare them away, they are tough little ******** and you cannot help but feel form them.
But hey the sharks have to eat lucky it wasn’t us for that day
If you are in South Africa you have to do this, it's an amazing experience, and since white sharks are endangered animals who knows how long we have them around.
