I did a fair amount of research on each port that I would be visiting throughout the voyage, and I had originally been pretty indifferent about Cape Town. As I learned more and more about the city (as well as South Africa), I got really excited because there was so much to do! Table Mountain, the winelands, Boulders Beach, etc etc. The one thing I kept reading about, but never actually considered, was shark cage diving. Great White Sharks are plentiful around South Africa (specifically Dyer Island, which is where I was) so there are a lot of opportunities to go out on the ocean and see the sharks.
Before I go any further, a disclaimer: I recognize there are a number of ethical concerns about shark diving, and I would be happy to talk about my opinions on those concerns when I come home. I also had concerns, but that was before meeting my dive master and actually participating and experiencing the dive firsthand.
So, a few days ago a friend of mine, Holly, asked if I wanted to go shark diving. I had no plans for the day and thought "sure, why not" so I told her I would and I went and bought my ticket. I had a very basic knowledge of what this entailed, and I figured "when in Rome..." The full day trip is kind of pricey, but again, I don't see myself doing this again any time soon.
After purchasing my ticket on Saturday, I started to get nervous... SAS deems this a high risk activity, my MedEx travel insurance wouldn't cover any injuries, it's controversial around animal lovers, WHAT IF I GET EATEN BY A SHARK!, the water is so cold, etc etc etc. But I was going with a few friends and I didn't want to be a wuss. If I could survive Kakum, I could survive sharks. Right?!
The day arrived. My stomach was turning a little bit. We had a 2 hour drive to Gansbaai for me to get nervous. The plan was that we would be picked up from the ship around 10am (along with a group of students that had also set up the tour) and we'd travel out to the bay to meet our dive master. We had a bit of scare waiting for the van - several groups of students were returning and saying they'd gotten halfway there and their driver turned around because it was too windy to dive. Luckily (unluckily?), our tour company did not cancel and we got to continue on.
The drive was absolutely beautiful, and almost worth the price of the excursion itself. We drove through part of the mountains and had a great view of Cape Town and Table Mountain. As we approached Gansbaai, our driver stopped in Hermanus which is the best land based whale-watching location in the world. We got to see a bunch of whales jumping around in the bay (a lot of them come there every September for mating season and to have babies). It was pretty exciting and ABSOLUTELY gorgeous To all the whales who avoided me in the North Atlantic: take that, suckers!
Anyway, we arrived at the Shark Office and met our dive master, Wiehann. The second I met him, I stopped being nervous. Completely stopped. I can't even explain why. He wasn't necessarily a calming, compassionate guy, he was just very confident and extremely smart. I just felt very, very comfortable. We ate a very quick lunch (he wanted us to get on the water by 130) and signed some waivers (of course). The waivers would've freaked me out a few months ago, but after signing away every right I have to do SAS, I wasn't phased.
We went down to the water and climbed aboard a 36 foot boat, with a small cabin and a small top deck. [We get in big time trouble anytime we call the ship a BOAT, so it was really awkward to actually call something a boat all day long... we'd all say "boat... SHIP... no wait, BOAT!" throughout the day]. I, thankfully, took a meclizine during lunch, because the 20 minute ride out to the Island was the bumpiest, most uncomfortable 20 minutes I've spent on the ocean. And that is also why none of us have any pictures, unfortunately. It was so wet and wild, the cameras couldn't stay out.
We got out near the island, and the crew started to chum the water (they mash up tunas and leave a trail in the water to draw the attention of the sharks). The sharks who are interested are pretty young sharks who aren't as cautious as their older buddies. Great whites are very cautious in nature generally. We went up to the top part of the boat and Wiehann told us all about what we'd be doing, the rules for diving, a little about the sharks, etc. As he was talking, we had our first spotting. The shark didn't come above the water, but Wiehann, the skipper, and the crew are all experts and spotted him. He said that it usually takes up to an hour to get some attention, but that we were really lucky.
At this point, most of us went down to put on our wetsuits. 2 of my friends had gotten seasick and 1 was reliving his lunch over the side of the boat. Neither ended up diving (sad). So, putting on a wetsuit is difficult enough; we had to put on WET wetsuits (from the morning trip) all while the boat is rocking like crazy. We kept falling all over the cabin and got very close helping each other zip/velcro/stretch. We put on some booties, and we were ready!
THe first group got in the cage, and almost right away a big shark jumped up feet from the boat to lunge at the bait. Oh. MY. GOD!!!!!! It was UNREAL to see this shark so close! His head popped up, his mouth was wide open, and then his whole body came over the water and you could see his fins! The only apt word to describe this is "unreal." We had a few more sightings - they are just amazing, beautiful animals. It wasn't at all frightening in any way, it was just amazing.
It was finally my turn to get in the cage, and Holly and I were SO ready to get in and get away from the rocking of the boat. Wiehann helped lower us into the cage (which, I didn't mention is a steel cage with bars around it that hangs off the starboard side of the boat. There is a top that opens up so you can climb in. It's about 3-4 feet out from the boat, 8 feet wide, and maybe 8 feet deep). We climbed in with masks on, and then Wiehann placed a weight belt around our shoulders (like a messenger bag). The water temp was 60degree F. It was SO COLD (and we were already freezing from the wind and the wet wetsuits). I had to tuck my feet on the back part of the cage so I wouldn't lose my footing, and then hold on to the one handle bar inside the cage. For obvious reasons, you don't want to hold on to the bars of the actual cage. I had one hand on the handle bar, and one hand on the top of the cage.
So it goes like this: the skipper was on the top looking for sharks. Wiehann was right at the edge of the cage the whole time. The crew member had a bait line that he'd throw out and drag back toward the boat. Whenever they'd see one coming, they'd yell "DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN" and we'd all take a breath and go underwater. We didn't have to wait long - Wiehann yelled DOWN DOWN DOWN and down we went! I missed the first one because I was looking in the wrong direction (typical). Pretty quickly after, one of the sharks jumps up DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. It was so wild! I was so stunned I forgot to go underwater and watch him (actually, her) swim away. I got the next few though and they were so beautiful. They are super cool and laid back. They're basically just chilling, checking things out. It was great to watch them underwater - some would swim really far beneath us, just curious. They don't like to eat humans, and they don't even see us as individuals when we're in the cage. They just are checking it out. Wiehann said most great white attacks on humans are young sharks who, like puppies [or as he said in his South African accent "like dog puppies"] want to take a little nibble to see what you are. They don't want to kill you at all. They just want to figure you out. If they wanted to kill you, he said, they'd do it instantly.
I was in the cage for about 20 minutes, which was long enough. Not because I was sick of seeing the sharks! I wasn't sick of seeing the sharks at all! Ooooh, at one point, the shark jumped above water and ate a seagull (he got it confused with the tuna head). Wiehann said "well, one less seagull." Rhonda, you would've loved it (but also hated it, because the birds were HANGING OUT all day). Anyway, I was ready to be pulled out of the cage because I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was the combination of the freezing water, the weight belt, the adrenaline, and the mask (which didn't allow you to breathe through your nose). Also, it was very choppy water and the water would often go over our heads while in the cage, which was pretty uncomfortable. I swallowed a ton of saltwater, which was disgusting (and actually made me very thirsty....). The first few dunks under water, I couldn't get the breathing situation down and I swallowed a lot of water, and then I'd let my feet slip out and let go of the handle bar and just be flailing, letting my hands and feet grab onto the outer bars. Idiot! But I got hang of it after awhile. Also, I didn't realize how physically difficult it was to maintain my position in the cage until I woke up yesterday morning and could barely move my arms.
So, when we got out of the cage, everyone was ready to go home. We didn't get to go to the other side of the island (where all the seals are... hence the giant Great White population) but we were all freezing and exhausted. The boat ride back was tough, I don't know that I've ever been that cold in my life. I was shivering all the way back to Cape Town. We got back to the office and watched the footage our videographer took and ate a hot dinner (I have no idea what it was we ate...). Wiehann told us a little bit more about the sharks - what's interesting is that he's not just a boat guy or tour guy - he's a SHARK guy. He has to log every shark he sees as part of a lot of ongoing research on the population. We only saw each shark for maybe 7 seconds above water (maybe 20-30 total underwater) but that was enough for him to identify its size and sex. In all we only saw about 5 different sharks (some were repeat visitors) ranging from 8-12 feet long. 1 male, 4 females. I know so much about sharks now that I could keep going, but I'll stop there :)
So then it was time to leave, and Wiehann actually drove us back to Cape Town, which was a highlight in and of itself. He had asked us "did you see the whales on the way in?" and we said we had, and he said "what kind of whales were they?" and we said "umm.... big ones?" and he laughed and was mad the driver hadn't told us anything about them. So he spent an extra 20 minutes of his own time to stop again and tell us all about the whales and point out the babies, etc. Also, as we neared Cape Town and passed through Khayelitsha (pop quiz: where has that name come up before?) he talked a great deal about his experience living in South Africa through apartheid and the end of it. It was interesting to hear from a white/Afrikaan perspective.
We got back after 8pm and I ran out to the ATM and for a quick dinner of fish and beer at the brewery down the waterfront.
Overall, I'm just really glad I've had the opportunity to do things I never would've thought I would do and I'm really grateful for everything I'm learning. It actually makes me feel stupider learning everything I have, because I realize how much I don't know and how ignorant I am to so much. Our executive dean, Sue, said during training that "once we judge, we cease to understand" and I'm really trying to take that to heart. It's an excellent motto for this trip and I can already think of so many things I've been exposed to because I didn't jump to conclusions. Just something I'm thinking about.
Yesterday was a bummer because our Robben Island tour got canceled because the ferry is broken. It won't be fixed until Saturday - 12 hours after we've sailed from Cape Town. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do it the next time I'm here :) Today I'm off to Cape Point, Boulders Beach, and some wineries. And then hopefully tonight out to Long Street to listen to some music.
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