Guest comment: “Unbelievable! The crew is magic, Thank you!” – Jennifer
“Amazing Mother’s Day! We loved the experience!” – Ainsley + Will
“Very fun and interesting. A highlight of my trip to South Africa!”- Christopher
11/05/2014
Location: Shark Alley
Water Temperature: 16.4’C
Depth: 12.1m
Visibility: 4.0 m
Conditions: Small swell + sunny
Today was our first day back on the water after two days off due to bad weather conditions. Whilst the previous days saw strong winds and large swells, we left the harbour with the sun shining and flat seas! This morning’s trip was the first of five trips for a group of students and shark enthusiasts from Universities all over Italy lead by Dr Primo Micarelli. This group is interested in investigating the behaviour of sharks and have collected over 11 years of data. The students are overseen by Dr Micarelli and Emilio Sperone in the observation and recording of the behaviour of the sharks that visit the boat and also take note of the gender, size, distinguishing features and fin ID number. The onboard documentation is used along with underwater and aerial footage taken by videographers, Daniele Giglioli and Enrico Rabboni to further the group’s research. For further details on the research being undertaken by Dr Primo and his researchers you can visit http://www.aquariummondomarino.com/cm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=104 or follow the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CentroStudiSquali.
Our afternoon trip saw the beautiful weather conditions continuing as we headed back to the Alley. After a slow start to the shark action, our skipper Pieter decided to up anchor and try a new dive site on the South East side of Geyser Rock. This proved to be a great choice and we had sharks flying in from all sides from the get go. This could possibly have been from all the noise and movement from the divers in the cage! Great White Sharks use a system consisting of a row of sensory pores and nerve endings that run from head to tail called a lateralis system allowing them to feel the vibrations, in our case, when the divers move around or make noises. This has led to many divers over time trying to attract the sharks from the cage, however, a first was witness today as a group of New Zealanders entered the cage and proceeded to perform the Haka, a traditional ancestral war cry/dance/challenge of the Maori people! Jury is still out on whether this is a successful method of attracting the Great White Shark but it did provide a great show for those onboard…
If you are looking to get up close and personal with the great white shark then Great White Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai, and more specifically with Marine Dynamics, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t want to miss. Book online with us and get a free video of your encounter with the world’s apex predator.
