Shark diaries: June 2007
By Sean Houghton
Suddenly a shark erupted through the surface, an aerial display of raw power as it latched onto the decoy and somersaulted through the air before splashing back into the water.
I clicked the camera as quickly as I could, hoping that I hadn’t jerked it and had got the focus right.
Then the shark was gone! But what a thrill!
Bruce, Geoff and myself were on the Blue Pointer 2 just off Seal Island in False Bay on the most perfect day any of us had experienced. The water was smooth and the only breeze was generated by the forward motion of the boat.
We had joined African Shark Eco Charters, which was the first successful Great White Shark eco-tourism operation at Seal Island, for a day of shark-cage diving and shark breaching.
I had been surprised to hear that a shark-cage charter operated out of Simon’s Town – as was everyone I told before we took the trip. “You’re going to Gansbaai…” was the standard response to whoever I told we were going shark-cage diving.
Rob and Karen Lawrence have been operating out of Simon’s Town for 12 years now and ‘discovered’ the now world-famous shark breaching (together with associate Chris Fellows) right here in False Bay.
Rob is a very responsible, professional and experienced skipper who is one of only two legal charter companies based in Simon’s Town operating in False Bay.
What makes their cage diving experience superior to everything else on offer is the exclusive opportunity to see breaching sharks which has to be one of the most exciting eco-adventures on offer anywhere in the world at the moment. In addition Rob and Karen are one of the few operators to personally take their boats out every time to ensure correct and ethical procedures are always followed and they maximise the impact of their clients’ trip.
There are several illegal ‘cowboy’ boats who advertise shark breaching trips. These unlawful operators often upset the delicate natural balance of the area by ignorantly cutting through the path of predation and disturbing the natural behaviour of both sharks and seals.
These illegitimate operators, and any private boats, will be reported by the legitimate operators and are subject to heavy fines and any clients on board are likely to have their adventure cut short and waste their money.
Seal Island in False Bay is the best place on the planet to see white shark predatory behaviour. Evidence of this, and Rob’s standing in the industry, is the fact that they have hosted the BBC’s Natural History Unit, National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel, Galatee and Mythbusters, to name just a few and have made more than 35 international documentaries.
Rob and Karen do not cater for masses of people. Rob will only take a maximum of 12 people out at a time, assisted by Poenas and Sam and Karen when she is not marketing the company from the shop they share with Chris in Simon’s Town and, in season, (April to mid-September) you are virtually guaranteed to see sharks.
Rob supplies everything you need to go shark diving: wet suits the lot. Another feature that places Rob’s operation above many of the rest is that they offer boat-based scuba breathing apparatus (instead of just snorkels) which allows you to stay under the water for as long as you like.
I have never gone cage-diving before and it definitely is one of the more exciting things I have done. The sharks come right up to the cage but are surprisingly cautious and certainly do not exhibit the savage attack anything behaviour we all associate with them.
However, their size and strength leaves nothing to the imagination as to what they can do when they get serious.
In one day we saw two breaches and over ten different sharks from the boat. Most were in the three metre range but several were in excess of four metres. They are huge and you can’t see the whole body at once and have to take them in a section at a time as they glide by the cage.
As we were preparing to dive, a four-metreplus monster breached right at the back of the boat. Poor Poenas was drenched and left a little shell-shocked but recovered quickly to look after all the guests.
We also saw a pod of hundreds and hundreds of dolphins which was really amazing.
All in all it was the experience of a life-time and something we will remember forever. Although we had perfect conditions, the weather does sometimes get in the way. When this happens it becomes much easier to reschedule with the Simon’s Town-based company than any Gansbaai operator.
A word of advice though, no matter what the weather conditions, take appropriate anti-nausea medication before you leave. The wallowing of the stationary boat can induce sea-sickness, even the calm conditions we enjoyed, as can the smell of the thousands of bleating seals on the island. Shark-cage diving and shark breaching is not something most people can afford to do very often. I would however, recommend it highly for everyone to do at least once. Pay for a trip as a present to a loved one! There can’t be many better team-building exercises for any company out there. And if you’re a tourist, you just have to do this before you go home.
I promise you, it will be one of the most memorable experiences in your life!
