Guest Comment:
09/10/2016
Location: Joubertsdam
Water Temperature: 16.3’C + 16.8’C + 17.6’C
Depth: 11.0 m + 9.0 m + 8.3 m
Visibility: 1.0 m 1.0-2.0 m + 0.5 m
Number of Sharks: 3 + 5 + 4
Conditions: Cloudy morning burning off as the day went on, with the wind dying down as well.
Trip 1
When working with wildlife, patience can be tested. Today was one of those days where we had to remember that sometimes animals aren’t as curious as we’d like them to be. Our first trip began with a 40 minute wait before the first shark arrived. It was a feisty 3.3 meter male white shark that had recently been tagged by our research team. He was joined shortly by a 3.6 meter pale female with a handful of scars along her left side. Our last shark of the trip was a 2.4 meter juvenile white shark with a white scuff mark. Activity got quiet and fortunately had a few more visits from the first 2 sharks.
Trip 2
Our second trip proved that patience truly is a virtue. We waited an hour and 15 minutes before the first shark arrived. It was a crew favorite, “Scarlett,” the 4 meter long stunning white shark with a beautiful personality for photos. However, today she wasn’t too interested in staying. She spent about 20 minutes with us then left. After a bit of waiting “3-bird” came by quickly, chasing after the decoy. After a bit more waiting, a large 3.8 meter female with fresh bite marks on her face came to visit our divers. She was quickly followed by a 2.0 meter pale, small, and shy white shark. It didn’t stay long. This could be because as soon as it left, the first shark of the day, the 3.3 meter fiesta male showed up. He gave everyone a great show, finishing the trip off on a great note.
Trip 3
Our last trip of the day was a bit more lucky and had a shark circling the anchor line within a minute of our arrival. It was a small and quick 2.6 meter white shark. Within 10 minutes of our divers getting in the water, a 3.6 meter white shark that we recently tagged appeared. We’ve seen this shark a few times the past 5 or 6 days and it’s always a very quick shark. Our divers said he sped by so fast that they felt the speed through the water! We were also visited by a number of short-tailed stingrays. They hung around the entire trip, leaving only when a new shark came. This was a 4.0 meter long female that was recently adopted and named “Kimberly” by one of our volunteers. She has a distinct white patch on the left side of her caudal. The last shark that came by is one of my personal favorites. This shark is a 3.6 meter long female named “Paisley” by me over a year ago (before we began the adoption program). She was tagged about a year ago and she tends to be a crowd favorite. She’s a very curious shark, coming very close to the cage and giving our divers an amazing view of her perfectly evolved body. She disappeared when 2 very large stingrays came up to the surface. Fortunately she came back right before our last cage was about to end, and gave everyone another great view. We’d like to thank all of our divers for their patience. Wildlife can be unpredictable and we are truly grateful for the handful of sharks that we were able to see today.
If you are looking to get up close and personal with the great white shark then White Shark Diving in Gansbaai, and more specifically with Marine Dynamics, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t want to miss. Book and pay online with us and get a free video of your encounter with the world’s apex predator.
