Dead White Shark :(

Two days ago, we got word that a dead white shark had washed up on Dyer Island, which was very sad news.

Unfortunately, the first day was far too rough for Marine Dynamics' whale rescue team to go out and retrieve it on the first day. However, yesterday it was calm enough for the team of three boats and crew to go and fetch it.

I managed to get to the harbour just in time to see the crew and the boat Calypso coming in, towing the animal behind it between two inflatable buoys. There were lots of people at the harbour, including a couple of film crews! I was keen to see if the shark had an obvious cause of death, but there were no marks on him whatsoever, except the skin that had been rubbed off by the sand as it had washed up.

The shark was immediately taken by the South African government's marine scientists to go to Cape Town for dissection in a couple of weeks. Maybe then we will find out what caused the death of this beautiful creature.

Below is the picture of the shark (it is bloated due to decomposition) taken by Marine Dynamics skipper, Hennie Otto:

Marine Dynamics actually lost a lot of money in fuel and personnel charges retrieving it, which goes to show how much they care about the wildlife in this area. Wilfred Chivell, the founder of Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Cruises, is clearly extremely passionate about these animals.

That is why, and please don't judge me too badly for promoting this company so blatantly, I would definitely recommend Marine Dynamics as a shark diving or whale-watching company. The money that is spent on your trip really does go towards marine conservation; these guys perform whale rescues, animal corpse retrieval for post-mortem analysis (an extremely important factor in conservation - if you have a dead animal, you need to find out what killed it to aid possible prevention of killing other members of the species in the future!), penguin housing placement on Dyer Island as well as education of the public about the area. I have witnessed first hand where this money goes, and can vouch for the company's positive actions towards conservation.

So, if you're considering coming on a shark diving tour/whale watching trip in South Africa (and I would really recommend it), I can honestly say Marine Dynamics is the best choice for a responsible eco-tourist.

p.s. I'm not getting paid by them!