Shark Cage Diving in Hermanus

As Promised…


Before I get started..sorry if I am talking to you online and the internet cuts out, I think its my computer actually and not the connection, however internet is a little funny here so im not sure but I can promise its more frustrating for me then it probably is you for! Gaaa once you become depended on the Internet all the time for literally everything.. It’s really hard not to have it.. Oh well, ill just have to adjust, not worth getting upset over, right..besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder anyways. I chatted with mom dad and Andrew last night that was nice.  Soo I do have a phone now which anyone can skype, 079-444-1199 im not exactly sure how it works through skype but if you wanna talk id love to chat with anyone!! Or if you wanna call from your phones you can do that too lol.


Anyway, back to the good stuff…


Wrapping up the week at UCT we had an awesome brie (bbq) like dinner.  That’s not what it was called I forget what it was, its starts with a p I think, but im too lazy to look it up.  Anyways, I might have already mentioned this but I can’t get online to check ssooo ill just say it again.  We had lamb (of course), rice, veggies..and all sorts of delicious eats!  And then we had a wild fun karaoke night!  It felt good to let loose and just bust a move haha.  we had a good jam sesh…you’ll see what I mean when I upload picts eventually lol.  Then on Saturday, June 16^th we headed off for the weekend in Hermanus.  On the way we stopped at Bikini beach and Gordans Bay.  These are a few of the many beautiful beaches all around the Cape Town area.  We played in the sand and the freezing water a little bit, got some snacks and then we were on our way.  We finally got to Hermanus and had some time to walk around a little bit and shop at the market.  We had lunch at the Zebra Café.  Apparently they have a regular there..he is a little birdie and when they open in the morning, if there is not bread or cheese out for him he get angry!  After lunch we went to the market and worked a little more on our bargaining skills.  We then met back up for dinner at Mugg and Bean (which apparently started in San Francisco).  I order an omelet – I kid you not, it was a NINE EGG omelet!  The freakin biggest portions I have ever seen.  Its like that everywhere and if you eat at home you have to take like 3 plates!  I don’t understand how the people here aren’t fat, and how Americans are fatter…we market ‘light’ meals and smaller portions..uhh.  The following day we went to Cape Agulhas, the southern most point of South Africa.  We had lunch this is where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean really meet.  (but there is controversy near cape point because that is where the 2 currents collide).  We had lunch at the lighthouse and walked up and down the beach taking tons of pictures, of course.  I took a handstand picture for you Andrew! Haha.  That night, we got to bed early in preparation for our early morning and day of shark cage diving.  Every time when I even talk about this I get nervous again.  So we left the place around 6 in the morning to head out to the boat.  They gave us a briefing of what to expect, served up breakfast and then we were on our way!  Once we found the area that we were going to dive at we anchored at threw out the bait.  It takes anywhere between 30-60 minutes sometimes for the sharks to come around.  So while waiting we got in the wetsuits and ready to dive.  The captain on the boat again briefed us on what to expect, rules and things like that.  He reassured us that in all their years of operating there had never been an accident.  Being in the cage creates a magnetic field around you and the shark does not even recognize you at a living being.  While it can see you, it is not attracted to you whatsoever.  The first shark came around it was pretty exciting..crazy actually.  First I have never seen a shark out in the wide-open ocean and second I was about to get in the damn water with it….what am I thinking???  im scared of the water!  The first group went down and I watch from the side of the boat - it was insane but I was really excited.  The sharks get so close to the cage, sometimes they hit it (and apparently get stuck in it!).  the first group switched out and I went in with the second…unfortunately we waited forever in the freezing water for some more sharks to come back around, but then – some super big ones came around.  The first dunk in, and actually seeing a shark’s face just feet away from mine was something else.  Im not really sure I can put words together to explain it.  Just imagine it yourself.  It was defiantly a thrill.  The sharks were swimming all over the place, jumping out of the water to try and catch the bait!  It was INSANE!!  After everyone had a try I even went in again…that’s when we got attacked.  The shark came after the bait, and the guy who throws in the bait quickly pulls in the bait to lure the shark in and sometimes get it to jump out of the water.  Well this particular time, the shark swam by the bait and as the guy pulled it away the shark quickly changed directions to try and get it, the bait was quickly pulled back and then thrown in again as the shark was close by, upon turning around he hit the side of the cage, when the bait was pulled out for the second time, he just kept swimming, with some force I might add, and swam right into the cage, and that’s where he got stuck!  I was so cared I jumped up to the surface almost right when he hit the cage for the first time and watched from the top of the water as he got stuck.  (that’s the picture on my fb).  I kid you not I have never been more terrified in my life.  100000 thoughts went through my head in a matter of those probably 5 seconds that felt like forever.  I couldn’t understand why no one was trying to get the shark away, why no one was trying to help me get out, why were people still under water, why is the boat not trying to get away haha and let me tell you I was not even the closest one to its nose!  The second that thing got away I climbed out of the cage as fast as I could, my legs were shaking, haha.  as scary as it was, I wouldn’t take back that experience for anything, it was pretty sweet, and I didn’t get eaten..soo it’s all good!  Not too much longer after we headed back for lunch and to debrief what we did and watch the video footage that was taken.  Throughout the few hours that we were out at sea we saw 6 different great white sharks, only one of which was a female.  The biggest one that we saw was about  3-4 meters, which is pretty huge if you ask me, but they can get up to 6 meters (that’s almost 19 feet long!).  we also learned the truth behind the ‘most deadly creature’ myth.  It’s not really true.  It turns out that the idea that sharks attack surfers because they ‘look like seals from beneath the surface’ is also not true.  The only reason that the shark is portrayed as so dangerous, is derived from the movie Jaws.  Good job America, once again, for false advisement.  Anyways, what is really happening is that the sharks are unsure of this strange image they see above them.  most often the shark does not smell food that interest them, and thus turns away forgetting the human as we are no good for them.  however, on rare occasions, the more curious shark, most often a younger one, will in fact poke to the surface to investigate the human.  However this is unlikely because they are usually only curious about food in will satisfy them and humans, aren’t all too satisfying.  In fact, anytime you are in the ocean you are most likely surrounded by 10-15 sharks that are indeed aware of you – however, they are not interested and thus leave you alone.  The reason for this is that sharks prefer warmer water and thus will often appear closer inland then most will think as the water gets warmer as it get shallower.  Another rumor about sharks, is the effects of shark cage diving on the natural habitat of the sharks.  Many are opposed to it claiming that it is this interaction with humans that causes them to attack humans as they are experiencing more frequent encounters with humans, as well as feeding them, thus hindering their ability to survive on their own.  however this is also not true.  Sharks do not generally stay in the same area or body of water, they are wonderers.  Therefore, the same sharks do not usually appear in the same areas or to the same boat trips.  Once they realize they are uninterested in the bait, they swim off in search of other food to eat and rarely come back.  Also, the boat had regulations on how much bait they can carry with them at a time, for each trip out to sea.  I forget the exact amount but it is so little that it is can be as much as a shark would grab in one good bite of a decent meal.  Therefore not enough bait to satisfy or feed any shark or number of sharks.  All that being said, maybe some of us wont be so scared to swim in the water anymore, knowing that sharks aren’t looking for us, the don’t want us at all…in fact we are a bigger danger to sharks.  The most harmful animal is actually the human, if people keep hunting great sharks and polluting the waters as they do, they (the sharks) could soon become endangered.  Soo keep the waters clean and just look with your eyes (also be careful in the ocean, being cautious never hurt anyone)


Tata for now,


Erin


Oh p.s. by the time I got his blog up we also figured out the Internet! Soo hopefully I will now be able to blog more frequently!



oh and we also saw whales on the shore while at the market! that was cool!!