All my Discovery Channel dreams come true!

We arrived in Gansbaai at around 11:30 in the morning after a beautiful two hour drive east of Cape Town. When we finally got there, I was a bundle of nerves and excitement! As many of you know, (especially my family in Maine) I am a die heart Shark Week fan, and have always dreamed of seeing the Great White Shark! South Africa is the best place in the world to see these animals, so even though March is a low month for sightings, I couldn’t be in a better place to try! A huge THANK YOU to my dad who was able to set up a trip for Katie and I from back home! We really appreciate all your time and effort! I love you!

We had a small group going out, only 14 in a boat that can fit 30 so that made it even better. The seas were extremely rocky on the twenty minute boat ride (maybe more of a roller coaster ride) out towards Dryer Island. This is the unique place that entices so many white sharks to come for a meal, because it is home to an enormous seal population. Interestingly though, the company does not chum at the island this time of year. About three years ago, they switched the location of the cage tours after finding more white sharks in a shallower area with a sandy bottom, slightly away from the island. So there we were, crossing our fingers that it would be a lucky day! The cage was already in the water waiting for us. It attaches to the boat right at the surface, so people are never more than a step up from getting back onto the boat. The bubbles from scuba gear actually scare the white sharks away, so conditions rarely allow divers to scuba in the cage. Instead people just go in with masks, and hold their breath for a few seconds at a time to see the sharks. The cage was fairly large, five people could fit in at a time. The water was very cold so we all put thick wet suites on, and just started looking, waiting, and hoping!

Soon I could see the shiny layer of fish oil resting at the top of the water in front of the boat. Surely the sharks had to be smelling something good! A large tuna head was our primary attraction, and it was, attached to a rope dangling right in front of the cage. It didn’t take more than 20 minutes for someone to take the bate! I will never forget my first sighting! I was up at the top of the boat, and it was just a surreal moment to see this huge shadow suddenly come into view. This first shark had to be at least eight feet! Whenever a shark went for the tuna head, the guide would pull the rope in, sending the shark right towards the front of the cage, and sometimes out of the water! I think watching from the top gave the best perspective because I could see the cage, and the animal when it was approaching. And when it for the bait, I could definitely see those infamous teeth as well!

By the time I went down and got in the cage, we had three white sharks taking turns coming in for their close up! I thought it was fascinating how they never came at the same time. The guide said he had never seen two sharks competing for a bite. I guess they are very patient and respectful of one another! The visibility wasn’t great in the water, but it was just insane to duck under and even just catch a glimpse of a huge shark nose, or a beady eye coming right at me! What a crazy experience! A few times, the shark hit the cage, and boy did I jump! I wasn’t scared at all, just amazed that I was actually in the water, not more than a foot away from a great white! Four hours at sea went by like forty minutes, and I could have stayed out all day. Seeing those beautiful and powerful animals really did make all my discovery channel dreams come true and now I can’t wait to do it again!!