Testimonials from people who joined us

Hello Rob

I was in your boat a couple of days last July , had great time and was lucky enough to get photos of 5 breaches in 2 days .

Today Ii was informed that I won several prizes in the oldest and one of the most important photo contests in the world , the one that is organized by The Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society ( this year in their 46th edition )

I would like to share with you the photo I took from your boat on July 21 , that placed an honorable mention in the category of marine scenics. Here it is

Thanks for running such a professional operation and thanks for the pole you gave me , i made a very good use of it .

Best regards from the warm Caribbean
Jose Alejandro Alvarez

Dear Karen

I have been telling my friends that you are an awesome manager for your business...very direct, bottom-liner, efficient, etc.  I cannot believe that I began communicating with you 1 year ago and it has taken so long to finalize this trip.  I am so thankful to be able to visit S. Africa, which is the land of my dreams for many reasons.

Sheryl

Rob,

I was on your Boat last friday, with my sister & brothers, and I never got the chance to thank you for the most wonderful experience of my life. I have dreamt about swimming with Great Whites since I was about 9 years old, and I never actually imagined that my dream would come true. I am still at a loss for words when trying to describe my experience. I have never experienced being so at peace, within in my body and soul, until I entered that cage. It felt almost like home, I could have stayed down there for hours (however, i was somewhat concerned with my sister, who was defintly not at peace) Thank you for all that you do for these amazing creatures. It is so wonderful to have met someone who is truly providing not only an amazing adventure, but most importantly educating the public about the true beauty of these sharks and promoting the importance of protecting sharks. Thank you for introducing me to "Cruella" and thank you for doing what you do. the experience was life-changing.

Jill Boldt, Colorado
(the idiot who had her wetsuit on inside out)

The most amazing experience Ever !!

If your into sharks then this trip is a must.

I was lucky enough to have won this experience on a radio competition, otherwise I don't think it is something I would have tried, but having been there done it and experienced the entire trip (for 10 days might I add), it is something I would, and have recommended to a lot of people.  A lot of jealous people too.

Rob, Sam, Peonus and Chris are some of the nicest guys you will ever meet, (and have the best job in the world).

Between them they have a mass of shark knowledge and make you feel at ease and are great people to talk to and learn from.

Not forgetting Krystal, who was brilliant, and also helped us choose other activities to do.

Thank you both so much for a truly AMAZING experience yesterday. The weather was perfect. The sea was calm. The vis really good. And the sharks we saw were truly magnifiscent!!

It was an experience we will always treasure  -and hope to repeat.

Dave & Annie Rattle
( Longbeach Lodge & Glen Cottage, Kommetjie)

I can't begin to explain how much the SOSF scientists enjoyed and apprecaited the shark trip on Sunday. They were absolutely blown away and I want to thank you and Rob and the crew for such a great trip.

Thanks,
Alison
__________________________________
Alison Kock
Marine Biologist
Save Our Seas Shark Centre

Hi,

I just wanted to say thank you to all the team of African Shark Eco-Charters because they do a very good job. They show us great white sharks in the natural way not like in a circus. You take extra care about the environment and it's not everywhere the same... Congratulations!

Thanks for the very good time I had today and last Sunday. I'll be back for vacation this time and take time to see more.

Kind regards
Ben

Hi Rob

I was on your boat this past Sunday afternoon with Gavin. I thought this was a pretty cool picture of you and thought you might like to use it.

I had a great time and look forward to my return to South Africa. If you're ever in D.C. look me up and I'll buy you a drink. Cheers,

Chris Coleman
Mission Architect - National Programs
24 July 2007

Just wanted to say a big thanks for the experience of a life time (11.06.07). To see your first breaching Great White is unforgetable. I really thought that only documentary makers sitting on a boat for weeks on end would see this happen but we saw several in one day!

Thanks once again!!! If you ever come to London just let me know and I will gladly look after you guys!

Kind Regards
Andrew Morton
18 June2007

Our week in Cape Town with you and the sharks was unforgettable, and thank you once again for all your help, patience and expertise. All the best.

Next time can you arrange for the sea not to be so rough then I can go in the cage J

Thanks to Rob and his crew for a truly awesome day and for being so helpful.

All the best
Dom
5 June 2006

Just to say thank you so much for looking after the three of us on the last two days of our 2 week trip. The final day (Friday) was a fantastic way to finish off the trip – trust the great whites to give us a good send off. Between the three of us we got some great pictures and footage of the sharks and their teeth. Please say thank you to your shark wrangler, Punis (is that the right spelling?) for the show and please let him know that he is doing a great job with looking after your visitors/guests.

Thank you again,
Catherine Anderson
28 March 2007

"Having seen both Air Jaws and Air Jaws 2 documentaries prior to departure my expectations for the trip were already quite high! However nothing could prepare me for the real-life encounter with this great 21-footer shark which soared clear into the air a mere 40 feet from the boat! Rob Lawrence and his crew promised and delivered a once in a lifetime experience that I believe no other company could offer! As a biologist myself I highly recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in more than just a basic adrenaline rush, but also wants to get an insight into the complex behaviour of these often misunderstood and rare creatures!"

Thank you once again and keep the good work going! I believe that raising the public awareness of the beauty of these animals is the best way to ensure their protection in the future and your company is certainly doing a lot for that!

Regards
Dr Vassiliy Bavro
University of Cambridge, UK

Dear Rob,

I just want to say thank you for the wonderful life altering experience, here is a little letter I wrote so maybe you can put it on your website.

I would just like to let you know about my totally amazing experience with African Shark Eco Charters.

I needed to get out of JHB (Rat Race), and decided to go and visit some friends in Cape Town, whilst deciding to do this I felt an urge to go a little wild and without thinking I phoned African Shark Eco Charters and made a booking and paid for it the same day so I couldn’t change my mind. I can’t even put my big toe in the sea let alone face my fears of sharks…. too many Jaws movies when I was little I tell you!!

The big day arrived and I was excited and scared at the same time. I was picked up from where I was staying and greeted with a warm welcome. (Talk about service)

I was assured the whole time that safety comes first and that it will be a good experience.

As we arrived at Simons Town I was introduced to the others that were joining us on the trip. I had never been out to see before, and was glad I took my tablets to avoid any embarrassment of feeding the fish/sharks.

We were briefed on safety and off we went. It was a fantastic day, the boat trip was smooth and comfortable, there is even a toilet on the boat and it was so spacious. (10 points with the ladies)

I asked numerous questions trying to hide how nervous I was about seeing sharks and in the process realized how naive I was (ouch for my ego) Hey you live and learn.

I was told you have a better chance of dying of a bee sting, dog or snakebite and eating shark then being attacked by one. (I calmed down) I was also told that humans are killing between 20-30 million sharks a year through commercial and sport fishing. Compare that to 10 deaths a year, which is small in comparison to the millions of people that enter the water and their territory.

Well with that aside I decided to sit back and enjoy the ride.

It was an amazing day and luck was certainly on my side, we saw plenty of playful seals waddling around and barking and swimming around the Island, very interesting to see and watch. Rob explained that we had a 95% chance of seeing the Great White ….durrr –dim – durrr –dim…..He was spot on. Wow they were beautiful and so majestic, still scary, but beautiful.

One shark was frequently popping its head out the water and Rob was telling us their names…and the reasons why they got their names. "Stoute" (Afrikaans for Naughty) was one of them, "that can a like to be a good name ek sê!!" I thought that was appropriate they are so fast and I was counting my lucky stars I was on the boat.

It was so exciting to see such power and beauty and to realize they aren’t the monsters and bloodthirsty killing machines the media and movies make them out to be, I actually felt sad for them in a way.

We had a yummy lunch and straight after that we got to see the legendary “flying shark”, wow, it was the best thing ever to see. (Don’t forget to take your camera otherwise no one will believe you) I still can’t believe my eyes; I felt so many emotions I cannot describe. Just plain and simply the best experience ever. On our way back we even saw a Southern Right Whale, what a day to remember forever. It was life changing.

Thank you Rob.
Colleen

Just wanted to say thanks for an amazing trip to see the great white sharks. It was fantastic, and more than exceeded our expectations, couldn't believe that we got to see three huge sharks and so close. If we are ever in Cape Town again we will definitely be in touch. Since being home we have watched the DVD "Air Jaws" - fantastic - is a great reminder of a great holiday and fantastic trip.

Thanks again & good luck with all of your future trips, and hope that the sharks remain off seal island in good health

Kind regards
Jayne