Marine Dynamics Blog

Blog - Marine Dynamics - Page 420

 

Today the visibility in the Dam was less than desirable; however the sharks were on the scene very quickly! We had several sharks today, ranging in length between 2 and 3 meters. The larger sharks seemed to be preoccupied somewhere else. Most likely taking care of a couple of seals who wondered too far off course. We had a great treat today when a couple of hagfish were swimming in front of the cage. These fish are known locally as the “snot slang”, due to the fact that they secrete large amounts of slime when captured. That was a real treat for everyone on board. All and all it was a great day, with no Monday blues…

Outstanding sharks on today’s trip! They arrived very quickly and stayed throughout, we sighted two of the same sharks from yesterday a female with a distinctive notch and a male who may be ‘Triple Dot’ from last year. Activity was top notch and we sighted two larger sharks towards the end of the trip. A great day for all on board!
 

It’s a common problem during summer that we struggle with visibility and unfortunately today was one of those days. Sharks however were absolutely stunning in every sense of the word. Even though the crew are working with these animals everyday you could see it in all our faces – this was a special day. The star of the show was a large female close to 4 meters in length one of our guests wanted to call ‘Sharkias Maximus’ and the name suited her quite well. She dominated the other sharks around the boat rubbing along side the cage as she passed and then rushing the bait from below. We sighted 12 sharks in total with a size range of just under 4 to just over 2.
 

Conditions were perfect upon arrival in Joubertsdam but we could see the cold front approaching on the horizon. The sharks responded within minutes and before long we had four circling the boat, one smaller shark and three big ones. The largest was around the 4 meter mark and came very close to the cage on several occasions. Before long we were joined by others and the trip was almost done by the time the weather began to move in. We rushed back for the cover of the Great White House before the rain began to pour down!

We had an absolute blast on the trip today with some very fun loving guests! They were in very high spirit and the sharks just added to the excitement on board. We had a large 3.7 meter shark that stayed with us from the start to the end of the trip. Lovely shark to watch! Our shark boat was a love cruise for many of the guest and it reminded of how great love can be. What can I say, I must be a romantic at heart :)! It just goes to show that our trips cater to all your needs, not just the need to see sharks. Great day…

I am absolutely thrilled to report that we had a very famous shark around the boat today, ‘Bullet’, aka ‘Big Nemo’. This shark appears to have gone through several world wars and survived. It is missing its left pectoral fin; it has a large hole in its dorsal fin and to top it off a large bite wound to the side of its head! This shark is still going strong; this clearly demonstrates the remarkable healing ability of these animals! We spotted the same shark today as yesterday, with the hook in its mouth, and I have included a photo which is quite graphic. Talks are currently underway in order to devise a plan in which we can help this shark! The trip itself today had great activity with some very close passes from the sharks; the only problem I think is that I need to start putting on more sunscreen :)! I’m becoming darker every day! This is a good reference for all our future clients to remember to pack in your sun block… Great Day!

 

We had a couple of amazing sharks that were putting on a marvellous show! I was however very disappointed to see that our first shark of the day had two large hooks stuck in the corner of its mouth. I wish we could have helped that poor shark on the spot, however we would have done more harm than good. Our boat is not properly equipped for such things, unfortunately we could only inform our conservation agencies. This large 3.5 meter female remained with our boat for the entire duration of the trip and she was great to watch. She was definitely not camera shy :)! An old friend came to say hello; “Rosy” has been scarce for quite some time and she was lively as ever. We were also very fortunate to see a large flock of Cape Cormorants making their way towards Dyer Island, most likely to rest after a long day of fishing! It’s easy to understand why they are the most abundant sea bird species off our coast if you just view the photos! Great trip…

We had a slow start to our trip today with only one shark for quite a while, the visibility was however amazing in the water. It was only after we had repositioned the boat did we receive a flurry of shark activity! The sharks were full of energy and put on quite a show for the clients. There was one 3.5 meter shark that was keeping our bait handlers on their toes. It was astonishing to see how quick such a large animal could move so effortlessly through the water! The fog allowed the sharks to have a more dramatic impact on the guests, giving them a more spooky appeal :)! The water was beautifully calm today and everyone had a great time! That always makes me happy…

We had several large families on board today, it must be due to the fact that today was Sunday! It is really great to see how an entire family can find enjoyment together on a shark diving trip, both young and old! The parents were full of screams, even more so than the kids :)! It was completely understandable due to the fact that we had some large 4 meter sharks around the cage. Well done guys for maintaining your composure! The wind was interfering with our visibility in the water today, which made it even more exciting for the guys in the cage. You never know when a shark is going to swim in front of you and yell surprise! All and all it was a very wholesome trip…

It was a battle with the tides today and not with the sharks, they were on time! We departed the harbour nice and early this morning and remained out a bit longer than usual in order to catch the incoming tide again! The guests received the news very well; this gave them more time to relax at sea at no extra cost :)! We had a couple of amazing sightings today, excluding the great whites. We had a massive school of sardines swim past our cage; the school covered nearly the entire horizon. They were about a meter in front of the cage, an amazing site for the guys in the water. We had a great example of The Evil Eyed Puffer Fish (Amblyrhynchotes honckenii), on our bait today. A very beautiful fish indeed! There were many sharks today and only 2 out of the 12 sharks spotted were less than 3 meters, so it was a day for the giants. Great to see all of these great things on a single trip…

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