South Africa – Whales and Sharks!

Sadly it was time to leave Cape Town. We both loved it so much that we would like very much to move there. We battled with the decision of staying longer, but that would imply missing the famous Garden Route and rushing the 1600 km drive to Durban to see the Germany Spain semifinal. It was that good that for a moment we even considered missing the semifinal, until we remembered the main reason why we were in South Africa at that time: FOOTBALL! We had 5 days to get to Durban on the other side of the country and our plan was to take in as much as possible of the Garden Route and the South African coasts.

Our first stop was Hermanus to see the whales. Hermanus is a charming small town and is well known as the best location in the world for spotting whales from land. The whales make their way from Antarctica and spend their winters in the South African Coast from July to October. It was just the start of July so our chances were slim. We arrived in Hermanus and I was impatient to hear the whistle of the “Whale Crier”. He is a very well known man (after Mandela, he is the most photographed South African) who walks the shores of Hermanus during whale season and when he has a definite whale spotting, he blows his whistle. We walked the shores of Hermanus and there was no sign of whales or the whale crier, but just when we were getting in the car to continue our route, we heard the cry. I ran to him and asked him where the whale was and then ran to the cited location. And yes, we saw them, not one but two Southern whales, very close to the shore. They did not do any flips or twists like the ones in Sea World do, but it was more magnificent to see these gentle giants in the wild, their natural habitat and so close to us, especially when they blow full steam of water out of their bodies. Been there, done that!

We could have kept spotting whales for longer but silly me realized I had left my credit card behind, in a restaurant 150 km back; so instead we had to backtrack and go retrieve it. Once recovered, we continued on our route to the next stop, Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point in the African continent, where the cold Atlantic Ocean meets the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Night had fallen on us and the final 30 minutes of our drive were under complete mist, the kind of mist you see in horror movies. We had no visibility whatsoever, so we called it a night in foggy Struisbaai, a small sleepy seaside town a few km before Cape Agulhas. Struisbaai is known for its resident stingrays who adorn its beaches. Next morning we made it to the very tip of Africa, set on a magnificent rocky beach with violent wind and waves, with the typical red and white striped lighthouse. Another wish fulfilled and on we set to commence our journey through the beautiful and well known Garden Route of South Africa.

Our next stop would be Mossel Bay, the main objective being to cross one more item off our bucket list: diving with the Great White Sharks. Mossel Bay is another seaside town which is great for whale watching, shark diving and surfing. Our shark dive was out of this world, so much that it was a record for the company we did it with. We had the record number of 19 sharks, 19 sharks that circled our cage while we were underwater! They told us the average number of sharks per dive was 6, so 19 sharks were a lot of sharks! The dive took place just 10 minutes by boat off the harbor of Mossel Bay in the proximity of a a small isle, a seal colony. These poor lovely seals are what these vicious sharks feed off during the winter. I wanted to save every seal that I saw swimming offshore, but you can’t go against nature.

The dive is done in a metal cage which is lowered from one side of the the boat and into the water, then six divers in wetsuits and snorkels go into the cage. The sharks are lured with tuna bait and chump (mashed bloody fish guts basically), but not fed, as this would teach them to associate humans with food. So basically the sharks are only teased to come near thrill seekers. The company said they have a 100% safety record, but it still takes nerves of steel and guts to go through with it. The bars in the cage are quite separate from each other and you have to hold to the inner bar with your hands. In a tense situation it is hard to distinguish between the inner and outer bars so your fingers could be easily chopped off by the shark. The captain said that if he saw anyone putting his hands on the outer bars he would only warn once, the next time you would be taken out of the water.

We both dived two times and on the first dive I had the right corner of the cage, the scariest slot. We saw the sharks go by us and rock the cage many times and on two occasions a very close encounter. On the first one the shark came directly at us and opened his jaw at us, but obviously the cage prevented him from devouring us. The cages do have many dents and teeth marks all over. On the second close encounter I thought that was it for me. Since there were several sharks circling us, they came form all sides. We were advised from the boat which way to look for sharks, so we were all focusing on one on the left side, when suddenly one came from the right corner out of nowhere and angrily rocked the cage and then proceeded to go to the back side of the cage and under. I panicked and threw myself at Tony as I was the one on the right corner and the first that would be eaten. I just heard the skipper say: “Sh** that was not supposed to happen!” When we were briefed we were told that the sharks don’t go under the cage or on the back side of it as it is next to the boat. Well this shark had a different idea and defied the rules. Because sharks don’t go under or through the back it is safe to put your bare feet there and that’s what made me nervous, I thought the shark would go for my feet. Shark diving is not like scuba diving, you don’t have an oxygen tank, so you have to keep coming up for air. There were 17 of us diving, 14 guys and 3 girls, in three turns. I am not tall enough to stand up in the cage so to be able to go underwater and see the sharks up close I had to put my feet against the outer back bars of the cage, the “safe part”. When that shark decided to attack from the back I panicked and probably had the thrill of my life. Regardless, I fought fear and went back down for the second dive, this time I was better protected as Tony offered to take the corner this time. Sharks kept coming at us but we knew they could not get us. To do shark diving you have to believe they can’t get you, and they wont.

What better way to cool our nerves than a cold freezing outdoor shower back at the harbor. We had to continue our drive through the Garden Route but not smelling of bloody fish and salt. The only fish we wanted was fish and chips at a beach shack at the harbor. Fish and Chips had become part of our regular diet in the coast. And on we continued…