Marine Dynamics

Hi Dave. This is a pic that was taken from the boat that I am working on, by a camera on a long pole. In the centre of the picture is the head, body and pectoral fins of a Great White shark. Most probably a female and about 3.3 metres long. Her upper body is a mid grey colour, while the bottom is half is white. She is gliding just below the surface with her Dorsal fin cutting the water above. Inside her mouth is the head of a Tuna, which is attached to a line and small bouy. The water is a beautiful navy blue and the visibility is very good, which suggests that this pic was taken in the winter months. During the summer months, the water has about 2.5 metres of visibility, due to the Algae which surfaces from below in order to capture the suns energy.

It's my fourth day today and so far I have seen 28 Great White Sharks, 6 Southern Right Whales and 2 Calves. Am I happy ? LOL !!! Having a blast. Am sharing a house with 3 others, who are very nice and easy to get on with. We start the morning at 6am , making our way to the Marine Dynamics main house, where we will sort out wetsuits and life jackets for the paying customers who come daily. We suit them up make our way down to the marina, climb on board the boat and are tractored to the Jetty. It takes about 20 mins to get to the sharks, who swim along this stretch of shore that is the main swimming beach in the summer. There have never been any attacks. We help to drop the anchor and then the shark cage. Then 5 guests are invited to climb in. We put weights on them to make sure they get under the water and then one of us will begin the process of chumming the water. A large black bin sits at the stern of the boat, filled with sardine flesh and tuna oil. Doesn't smell too bad, until it seeps into your watch strap and stays there !!Wondered why no one was wearing watches. So, we get a half plastic bottle, plunge it into the goo and throw the contents over at the back of the boat. At the same time a tuna head on a line is being flung out in front of the cage and a seal decoy, just to the left of the cage. Then we wait and it's a quick wait, maybe 10 mins. Henne our skipper, standing on top deck, will spot a shark and shout out it's location. Oliver our marine biologist will take down time of sighting, significant markings, sex and size. The guests are told to go down and there they get to see these great creatures glide silently by, occasionally having a taste of the cage !! Occasionally you will get a whale and its calf only meters away from the sharks, both parties disinterested in the other. Standing at the stern of the boat is a little un-settling at first. You are covered in chum and there is nothing between you and the sea. The platform we stand on is small and slippery and these shadows just glide past you every few minutes. We also have to bring the cage back onto the boat at the end of the trip. That is tough as it is made out of steel bars and base and weighs a ton. We balance it on the chum platform, rocking it up onto the boat, however in a swell, it usually rocks us and there have been times that I have thought one of us is going for a swim. I didn't yesterday, but slipped onto the chummed deck. There was alot of laughter, at which point I invited two of the crew to stand on the west end stage and sing infront of 1200 people every night. The laughing stopped !! We do two trips a day and finish about 3.30pm and back at the house for 4.30pm after clearing up. It is hard work but the benefits hugely out=weigh the muscle fatigue !! Sleep is instant and blissful. Today is an off day as the winds are too strong. We had a SA Braai [BBQ]the night before last at our house, as a way to say hello to everyone. I drank and smoked too much but had a lovely evening. The sea air is a great hangover cure. The people here have very strong characters and there is definitely a story or two lurking beneath the surface. One tourist fell in last year after there had been 10 sharks in the water. The skipper motored about 4 meters away before the man was noticed missing. They picked him up and he was fine. No panic, nothing. It wasn't until the next day that he freaked and realized how much his life had been at stake. Please god don't let that happen to me. Every night with my madness, I imagine that scenario, as there is a part of the boat that doesn't allow for much room. It is the side access to get to the bow or stern, with the rail coming up just below waist height. One slip....Enough. Having a fantastic time in a very peaceful, calm environment and am settling in well and loving learning about these beautiful marine creatures. I am also asking lots of questions, which is new for me as in the past I tended to keep quiet and find the information another way, so am just a little proud of myself. Warmest xx