After a lovely morning atop Table Mountain, we made our way to the tiny coastal town of Gansbaai. The region is well known for two things: great whites and whales. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any face time with Shamu, due to it being the off season, but we did manage to get up close and personal with the ocean’s predator.
I suppose you could say cage diving is something I’ve always wanted to do. Movies like Jaws and the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week helped to land it a spot on my “to do” list, before I kick the can. I’m pleased to say it was a rewarding experience, and far surpassed my expectations. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it. It’s a great way to admire these magical creatures, while learning about them in the process.
There are several operators in the area, but we decided to go with White Shark Project. From start to finish the entire process took about four hours and we were lucky enough to spend half of that in the water, shaking and shivering. The chumming process varies, depending on the day. Sometimes you wait minutes, other times, hours. Of course, there is always the chance that nothing will show. Luck is something I rarely have, so I was cautiously optimistic, keeping my hopes in check.
Within fifteen minutes of tossing the chum, a nearby great white picked up the scent and came to say hello. Eventually his friends got word of this and wanted in on the action. We saw a total of three different whites that day, although all were similar in size, making it hard to tell them apart.
We watched from atop the boat, as the first group went in. Having noticed that the sharks tend to go for the left of the cage, I made sure to snag that spot when our turn was up. The murky water makes visibility limited to around six meters. Fortunately, they come right up to the cage when passing, so at any given moment, their pearly whites and beady black eyes might be within inches – so close you could reach out and touch them. And I did. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.
I’m sad to say neither of us took a single photo that day. We brought our cameras, but stowed them under our seats to keep them dry. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Sad. The volunteers aboard the boat created a DVD, but we thought the price was excessive, so we passed out of principle. Sometimes we’re cheap. Sometimes we’re stupid. Often we’re both.
