Waking up to bright sunshine through the window was pleasant and surprising, given it is supposed to be winter here. The place we are staying in is beautiful. A small holiday home, not that different from the small holiday chalets you get on the Isle of Wight in the UK. Out the front is a stunning sea view, and the front door is less than 100m from the sea front. I could tell this was going to be epic!
My first outing to see the sharks was a very exciting prospect. After meeting a few of the lovely employees here at Marine Dynamics, Amy and I got our gear on to venture out to the sea with the guests.
What a sight! The sharks were definitely playing ball. I'm not sure if it was because we were the only boat out there due to a large swell that had come in, or whether the sharks were super-pumped that day, but they were jumping about all over the place. A few managed to get the bait, and one even grabbed the rope the bait was on, pulling it until its teeth actually sliced through the rope itself! It goes to show just how sharp the shark's teeth actually are! Another shark swam right up to the cage the guests were in and hovered there, staring straight in at them! What a sight that must have been. Sure enough, the guests came back up to breathe and the excitement was evident in their shrieks and laughs.
We were out there for quite a long time, although it did not seem like it. Time certainly flies when you're having fun! Mooring up, I felt quite shell-shocked at what I had just witnessed. I feel so privileged to be able to do this almost every day throughout the two months I'm here!
I was also surprised at how well the guests are treated, the whole crew is extremely friendly, and always ready to help. There was food and drinks in the morning before we left (I sneaked a little orange juice!), food on board (sneaked a packet of crisps...) and some hot, tasty soup to warm everyone up afterwards when we all got back (also sneaked a mug and some buttery bread). Of the small number of dive companies I've seen down this road, I certainly think Marine Dynamics is one of the better ones, if not the best one here!
*Note: bait in this case is some fish heads tied to a rope with a buoy designed to attract the sharks. It is illegal to feed the GW sharks in South Africa, although they do occasionally manage to 'outsmart' the bait-thrower and grab it! This does not harm the shark.*
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