Shark Diving

CRAZY AWESOME EXPERIENCE!  Everyone should do it.  It's not scary, it's not expensive, you get great pictures, and now I get to say I went swimming with a Great White SHARK!!!

For about $150 we got a room for the night, breakfast, lunch, and cage diving for 1/2 hour +.  We arrived on site around 8:45 for a 9:00 meeting.  We were served a breakfast buffet and then proceeded to sit until around 9:40 when a busload of people arrived from Cape Town.  This busload was a group of people who are in a yacht-around-the-world-race.  They are docked form 3 weeks in Cape Town, and one of the boys actually went to High School with Jess - perhaps the most random meeting two people could have. 

We got our instructions from perhaps the best definition of a man I have ever met.  He was a big guy with hands as big as dinner plates - seriously.  He works with Great White Sharks and was just a huge bad ass.  Anyways, after we knew what was going on we went outside, loaded the boat, and set out.  I was a bit worried about sea-sickness because this past summer I went finishing with my grandma and aunt and felt a bit of motion sickness.  These fears never manifested themselves however - yay!  After about 20 minutes we anchored and were given wet suits if you wanted to dive.  Somehow I got in mine first - probably because I was already wearing my swim suit so just stripped and put it on.  This meant I was the first in the cage - quickly followed by Jim.

 

We weren't using scuba gear because the bubbles and noise freak the sharks out I guess.  They just give you goggles and put you in.  Your feet sick on the back side by the boat and there is a bar for your hands so they are not touching the outside.  You then get a weighted belt to help you lower yourself in the cage.  There is a guy working the bait line - chum is just some tuna heads and he gets the sharks to come next to the cage.  When a shark comes you can't really see because you are at water level.  The guys on the boat look from above and tell you to dive.  You then plunge yourself under and get to see the sharks under water.  The first shark that came by bumped the cage!  It was so cool.  We stayed in for a while - the water was not bad, around 60 degrees they told us.  Our shift was the best and we saw the most sharks.  Some came so close, it was crazy.  One came around the side I was on and looked a me really close-up.  When I had to get out I just went up on the top story and looked from above - this is the best view. 

Almost forgot, the coolest sight probably was when I was in the cage.  While we were still above water this shark just jumped out of the water facing us and took the chum.  We were eye level and his mouth was open and everything - soooo cool!

Most of the sharks weren't too big.  There was only one that I saw that I would say was terrifyingly huge.  Overall a great experience.  Will did get sea-sick and him puking over the side of the boat was captured by the videographer and shown to everyone while we were eating lunch.  Pretty funny.  Got some great pictures.