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FIRST TIME SIGHTING of Bronze Whaler Sharks at Dyer Island - Gansbaai, South Africa
The 12th of November 2013 is a very memorable day for the team of Marine Dynamics Shark Tours – the day started off as per usual with a very excited group of local and international tourists heading out with their crew to the area known as Joubert’s Dam in the greater Gansbaai area.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER SEEN FOOTAGE IN GANSBAAI:
The water temperature was phenomenal, a warm 17.5°C, and the water visibility was good enough for brilliant views of our target species, the Great White Sharks.
Bait handler Pieter Du Toit was the first to spot something was different with an incoming shark circling just far enough to make it almost impossible to identify by species. He shouted to our Skipper, Hennie Otto, that he thinks he has seen a Bronze Whaler Shark Carcharhinus brachyurus.
Minutes later the shark appeared again, the coppery colour, blunt noses and slender build of these sharks were a dead give-away that they were dealing with a different shark species, definitely a Bronze Whaler Shark. The confirmation of this species and the ensuing Marine Dynamics Crew’s amazement was hardly containable.
Everyone thought this would be a once off occurrence as this was such a rare and unheard of sighting.
To everyone’s amazement the Bronzies were back on Wednesday the 13th November 2013. There was a total of 4 Bronze Whaler Sharks sighted again, varying in length from 2.5 to 3 meters, and they were very interested in the bait and decoy. The visibility from the cage had improved from the day before and this time, our guests on Slashfin – Marine Dynamics Shark Cage diving vessel, had amazing views of the Bronze Whaler Sharks from the cage.
“I have in the past observed small Hammerhead Sharks approach our boat, but they rarely engaged with the bait or decoy” explains Hennie Otto.”This is the first sighting of Bronze Whalers witnessed around a shark cage diving vessel since 2005, and more amazing was the fact that at times we were seeing both Bronze Whalers and Great White Sharks of equal size swimming alongside each other.”
It was only when a huge Great White Shark appeared that the Bronze Whalers took refuge further away from the boat, quite understandably as Bronze Whalers forms part of the natural prey of Great White Sharks.
For more info about these amazing Bonze Whaler sharks, visit www.dict.org.za.
