Getting ready for shark season!

So, we took the boat out onto the hard for an expection . The propeller needed replacing. Great, that was not good news. Then we noticed a crack in the engine mounting. Yippee, more bad news. And to top it off we had to replace the gear box.
Well, it all has to get done. That's just life when you run a boat commercially, but it doesn't sit easy on the wallet!

Today has gone to upgrade his skipper's ticket. It has been a long time since he has been asked to write a test, and he has been practising his knot techniques, many which had been forgotten. Its glad to see an old dog can still learn new tricks...ha ha...he will kill me for calling him and old dog. Thank heavens I can run fast!!

PA-Booking Agent for Tourism Company in Simons town.

Must have related experience or diploma in travel and tourism.

Bookings and reservations, arranging  transfers, hotel accommodation.

Direct dealing with guests.

Till point controller / cash ups/banking/emails and admin.

Marketing to guest houses and tour operators.

Must be confident, outgoing ,willing to work  week-ends and standby. Preferably live in area.

Email CV to airjaws@mweb.co.za

Shark Cage diving with Rob Lawrence

Rob Lawrence, my husband, is the founder of African Shark Eco-Charters. He has been working in the industry since 1992, he is highly experienced and knowledgeable in the behavior of the great white shark.

Driven by his passion for these misunderstood animals, he has spent his life’s work  educating, informing and empowering individuals the world over by sharing with them on the habits and behavior patterns of these apex predators, now endangered and needing our protection. They have been put on the C.I.T.E.S – Appendix 2.endangered species list.

The same knowledge and passion is passed onto myself, Karen and to our crew members who work with him. They, together with Rob , have, over the years worked closely with film production companies, such as Animal Planet, BBC Wild life, National Geographic, Discover Channel etc. creating worldwide awareness.

Many life’s have been touched and attitudes changed by individuals participating in this exceptional eco-experience.

Because of the nature of the experience, with natural predation as one of their prime selling points, this has in turn attracted the true shark enthusiasts as well as researches, photographers, nature lovers, eco-enthusiasts to False Bay, to experience tin his uniqueness. 

Join us on one of our trips to experience the beauty of the Great White Shark.

Shark Cage diving with African Shark Eco-Charters

I have just learnt how to link words to websites, so bear with me as I play " link link"

Shark Cage diving info

Great White Shark diving

Watch great white shark hunt seal at False Bay Seal Island.

Simonstown False Bay, at dawn

Here is a nice pic Rob took of Simonstown False Bay.

So snowed under with work.

I have been trying to finish the holiday blog for ages now, but have been so snowed under with work.
Rob has been running around trying to fix the toilet on the boat, as well as looking around for another vehicle.

I have had meeting upon meeting with marketing and advertising companies, all wanting to sell and have our company list with them. Its hard to measure how successful your marketing is in terms of where are the guests coming from, and so you gotta be so careful where you advertise.

Then, the admin is really hectic at the moment, and I am as busy at my desk as I was in season, so I need to address that soon.

We found out yesterday, that MCM hasn't even begun to look at the permit applications. Hmmm, and they say they will have the permit allocation ready by January. Well, we will wait and see.

Dolphins at Dawn

 

A lovely sight to behold.

Been to busy for Shark Week

Oh shock, Oh horror, we haven't watched much of shark week.

I have been reading with amusement and concern the various blog's and there comments on Shark Week. So far many of blog posts have not been positive with the main concern that the sharks have been portrayed from the angle of a killer, with bloods and guts and gore.

Due to having little kids using every trick in the book, not to go to bed, or more like, not to stay in bed, TV &(shark week) has taken a back seat and so I cant comment on shark week.

Having had a few of shark week documentary's made with us, its is always interesting to watch them. We have very little to do with the filming, or what the production is about. The most important thing is that the sharks must not harmed or negatively impacted. Most of the crew we work with are friendly and professional. Some times the presenters off screen personalities are Jekyll and Hyde to their on-screen, but we just keep that to ourselves.

The BBC are busy doing a film on migratory birds. Basically, the low down is that on their journey interesting happenings occur. Here in False Bay, its the breaching and predations of the Great White Sharks.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, we had a fantastic two days of predatory activity. The shark activity was amazing with dozens of predations occurring. Those days the crew was interested in the birds and so they were not filmed. I think they got an awesome breach shot on Friday, if I am not mistaken.

The activity has been quiet slow since Saturday, with the sharks being lethargic and staying deep. Today is the first day this week we have been able to get to sea. The swell is still quiet big but we have had one very good breach this morning. The guys are heading back now and will possibly head out this afternoon again.

Today, I need to work on July's newsletter, doing some changes to the website which should keep me glued to the computer the entire day.

Hopefully be able to download any new pics Rob has taken. Maybe he captured that breach today?

Starting the film shoot with BBC

WE started a 10 day film shoot with John Downer Productions of the BBC.

Rob comes home late last night and asks where is their generator. Oh my hat. I have forgotten to order in. Thankfully we have a genie at home. Its huge and old, but it will do the job for today. I have to go collect the proper one today. Its at the other end of the world 1.5 hrs away and so I will be spending close to 4 hrs in the car later on as I will be coming back during rush hour traffic.

Give you a low down on how the first day went and an over all description of the shoot.

I found this joke funny.

Q: why did the mommy shark and daddy shark get divorced

A: they no longer loved each other

( okay, so I have a weird sense of humour!!)

Shark spotters enjoyed their trip with us

Up close and personal with sharks

By Thandanani Mhlanga

The sea is quiet and still and it is almost hard to believe that great whites inhabit these calm waters.

On an unusually hot winter's day in the peninsula, and even more so in Simon's Town, a group of 10 shark spotters will get their first up-close encounter with the predator they've observed for so long.

Their excitement is palpable as the cage descends into the water.

At first, there are no sharks, but within minutes the boat to which the cage is attached is encircled by at least half a dozen.

After about 40 minutes, shark spotters Monwabisi Si-kweyiya and Patrick "Rasta" Davids are lifted out of the shark-diving cage.

"It was that close! Did you see it?" shouted Sikweyiya.

Davids responded: "Do you believe me now? There's nothing to be afraid of?"

The group was invited by African Shark Eco-Charters to get a close-up view of the sharks they keep a lookout for.

"There are more dangerous two-legged sharks on land," said Davids, a veteran of the shark spotting trade.

Davids started out as a car guard at a Muizenerg beach until a 16-year-old teenager lost a leg to a great white. His livelihood was subsequently threatened as the beach saw fewer visitors.

This led him to train as a shark spotter.

"The local trek fishermen taught me how to look for weather conditions, wind patters, visibility in the water. I was the first shark spotter in Muizenberg."

That was seven years ago, and shark spotting has since grown to encompass this group of youngsters from all walks of life who were given the opportunity yesterday to encounter the great whites.

Rob Lawrence, owner and host of African Shark Eco-Charters, sponsored the group.

"These guys do such a good job but only get to see the sharks from the mountains," said Lawrence.

Alison Kock, a shark re-searcher with the Save our Seas Foundation, said they were grateful to Lawrence for sponsoring the trip as the experience had lifted the shark spotters' spirits.

"Getting to see sharks in their natural environment, up closer than they ever have before, can teach them more in a few hours than years of studying sharks from books or films," said Kock.

Also in the shark spotter group are four women.

Ethel Thsandu said that, as a shark spotter, she had learned how to connect with nature.

"You get to learn about nature, how to become connected to nature," she said.

The other women said the best part of their job was meeting tourists from all over the world.

Can an old dog learn new tricks

So I have been promising you pics of whats been happening on the recent film shoots.

Rob bought a new computer for his footage and it has an editing program for raw footage and its bloody complicated to use.

Also with the added burden of getting all the filing ready for VAT month, trying to sort out PAYE and about 75 emails a day and to top it of its school holiday's, it doesn't leave much time to do anything else.

But, I will persevere and hope to have a few pics by this afternoon.

I love working with Great Whites. I love everything about them.

Here is a pic taken yesterday.

A great shark dive

Rob and the crew,

I cannot thank you enough for the dive this morning. I am so thrilled with every bit of how it went, all of the photographs that I was able to get, and even some great video! I wanted to share the photos and video with you - nowhere near as incredible as Rob's and Chris's, but some good shots all the same.

I will remember the dive forever, and can now cross it off my "MUST DO" list. That said, I'm sure that I need to do this a few more times, so I'll be back at some point. Thanks for making a long time dream come true.

photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanders5

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnckIjmkvuU

Jenna Sanders, RN, BSN

testing post

this is a test blog

Description of a Typical Trip

Been updating some info. Thought I would share a description of our trip with you.


06h45: Meet at Simonstown Pier. Our boat is the Blue Pointer 2. You will be welcomed aboard and a full safety and weather briefing is given.

07h00: In pre-dawn darkness we depart for Seal Island. (About 30 minutes away).

07h35 to 12h30: Arrive at Seal Island. Seeing dawn breaking over the Island and False Bay is truly breath-taking. The first 2 hrs is the ideal time to witness the great white’s natural predation interaction with the seals, which can often lead to the great white shark exploding out of the water with such intense shear force in pursuit of its prey. It is something that you will remember for the rest of your life!

When the natural predation activity has quieted down we try for a short decoy tow using a fake cut out carpet seal where we attempt to get the great whites to breach. Towing of the decoy allows for the best photographic opportunity. Being eco-sensitive we only do this for a limited period.

We do an inspection lap of the island choosing the best spot to anchor up. A bait line is put in the water as well as the carpet seal decoy. Every precaution is taken not to injure the shark. We do not feed sharks, nor touch sharks. We are NOT an adrenalin outfit.

Then it’s time to get up close and personal with the sharks. The cage is lowered into the water when the sharks are spotted in the area. For more info on shark cage diving. http://www.ultimate-animals.com/shark_diving.htm

You will still have excellent views of the Great White Shark should you chose not to dive.

In case your wondering about your stomach growling, we have a cooler box, with sandwich rolls (cold meats as well as a vegetarian option) as well as, something healthy; fruit juice, bottled water, fruit and something not so healthy; coke, crisps, sweets and chocolate.

12h20: We start to head home to Simonstown. This may be earlier depending on shark and weather conditions.

12h45 onwards: Payment is made after the shark trip at our bookings office, “The Great White Shark Shop”.