Shark diaries: May/June 2008

May was a really enjoyable month for us. The weather was fabulous and on most days we had really good visibility around the boat, which meant that the diving conditions were great. In fact so far our best diving days have been in May.

We missed a few trips in May due to the weather, but when we were out to sea, we had great trips.

For most of our guests, the highlight is the breaching and the predation behaviour of the sharks and everyone has their camera ready to take shots of the famous “flying great whites” of False Bay. We have been sent some really great pics from our guests whom I have added to this month’s newsletter.

For those of you that have joined us, if you have any pics taken from our boat, please send them to us and we would love to add them to our website. The same applies to those wanting to join us. We love hearing from you and getting your feedback.

We have had some really big sharks of 5m and more at the Island lately. It is always so exciting to see these large sharks, and there is something so graceful about these super predators. Too many people, all they see is the teeth and nothing more, but when you start going to sea on a few more trips, our guests start to get a deep love and respect for the sharks. This is what the longer trips are all about. I had an agent asking me, don’t the guests get bored doing a 10 day trip. The answer is no. Each day is so different from the next, the sharks are different, the sea conditions are different and so no two trips are ever the same.

For example, the predation activity varies. Sometimes we see protracted events, meaning watching a super size version of catch, with the sharks chasing the seals. The unlucky seal ducks and dives and does whatever it takes to not become breakfast. This could be as long as a minute, until either the seal gets away or the shark gets it.

Other times it is a very short event, or one hit wonders where the shark makes an attempt on the seal- splash and then no follow up.

We have had few new additions to our crew. Wellington is from the local community and was previously a deckhand on a local fishing boat and expressed interest in the sharks. He had his first shark dive the other day, and was really nervous before hand. He had such a great dive and now he can’t wait to get back into the shark cage. We also have a volunteer with us from the Netherlands. Jurgen has been studying sharks around the world, and is now getting some good practical hands on experience, as well as helping us out as a guide.

Now so far in June we have been really unlucky with the weather. To date we have had 12 no sea days which is really frustrating not be able to get to sea for half of the month. This is the worst run of weather in 10 years that we have experienced. As I write this, this is another day not at sea. Having such a short shark season of 4 and half months and not able to get out and do what we love doing drives us batty. It makes me really count our blessings on those good sea days. However with our Cape Storms we have had some pelagic birds come inshore that we normally don’t see. Birds like Wilson’s Storm Petrels and a few Giant Petrels which are always great to see.

With the bad weather, it has affected the shark activity. Around the boat the sharks have still been very active, but the visibility of the water has been poor. Despite the dirty water, we have managed to be able to shark dive but obviously it hasn’t been great.

Well, with the bad weather, means I don’t have many shark tales to bring you for June. We look forward to July and we have our hands full, so I should have lots of news to tell you at the end of the month.

Until then, (if you are in the Southern Hemisphere), keep warm, light those fires and have a nice glass of red wine.

Best Fishes
Karen Lawrence