Marine Dynamics Blog
Tag: Kelp Gull
- Admin
What a fantastic way to start the morning, with an awesome view of the sunrise while being at sea! Just have a look at the first picture of the trip, that’s exactly what ones soul needs to start the day! Even though there was some strong swell predicted for today, we had an awesome trip! Thanks to our experienced crew on board we were in the perfect place for our diving experience, perfectly protected from any unpleasant weather. The sharks were putting on a wonderful show; however I thought the Kelp Gulls were going to fly away with the boat under their wings! There were hundreds today! We had another tagged shark today and I believe it was ‘Brenda’; it’s great to see that these sharks are still doing well after their tagging experience. We also had a shark with a hook in the right side of its mouth; this should eventually rust out with time. All and all a great trip…
- Admin
It was a bit unusual how the cloud cover started to come in this morning because it was sunny and clear at one point and then suddenly cloudy! We were lucky not to have encountered any heavy rain, only a slight drizzle! The weather did not hamper our diving experience even slightly; the sharks arrived promptly and on queue! “Zane” also made an appearance today and he is always a pleasure to have around the boat! We also had a tagged shark around the boat and she was incredible in her demeanour! Visibility remains good and allows for some amazing shark viewing! Just keep it up Mother Nature…
- Admin
Winter has arrived! We had some chilly conditions on our early launch today, but we also had an awesome sunrise with our launch! The sharks were able to raise the body temperature of several clients which made the cold temperatures bearable! It was great to have such a wide range of shark sizes in front of the cage; ranging from 3 meters all the way to “Slash Fin” who was in the range of 4.8 meters! It’s great to see him still hanging around the Island and even better when he decides to pay us a visit! We were also very fortunate to spend some extra time around Geyser Rock; this allowed us the opportunity to spot African Penguins on two separate occasions! Fantastic wild life in the area…
- Admin
Our trip had a bit of a late launch today due to the shifting of the tides, nonetheless we still made it out to our dive site! The wind was definitely prevalent on the water today, however we were very fortunate to have mild swell. A combination of strong winds and big swell would not have been pleasant for a first time sea farer, luckily the weather remained good for the shark sightings! We had loads of kelp gulls around the boat, skimming off some of our chum, they truly are like flies sometimes! The sharks were giving great passes but were reluctant to come up to the surface, making the taking of photos quite difficult. I still got my shots however…
- Admin
Today offered some amazing shark activity at Dyer Island, the only downside today was the decrease in visibility from yesterday. This was attributed to the presence of large phytoplankton blooms in the water; these blooms are a vital part of the marine food web. However it has a negative impact on our visibility in the water, but luckily no impact on the shark activity! We had an interesting sighting of a shark covered extensively in parasites. Even though these animals often have internal and external parasites, this particular shark was riddled with them. “Zane” made a very abrupt pass and disappeared into the depths and left room for other sharks to make their passes. See you tomorrow…
- Admin
It was once again the Subantarctic Skuas duty to escort us out to our dive site, however today he really came very close! We were kept waiting a bit today but the end result was worth it! We had several large sharks make their passes by the cage and there was even a large 4 meter female coming very close. She seemed intoxicated in the way that she just floated pass the front of the cage, an amazing shark she was! “Slash Fin” made another short and dramatic appearance for the clients and impressed them with his 4.7 meter body! It just started to rain so our trip was timed perfectly, great stuff team…
- Admin
We had an ‘exclusive’ trip today with very few clients on board, this made the trip even more special. This gave me the opportunity to interact with each person and get their feedback on their experience with the great white shark. The sharks were a bit slow initially, however that changed very quickly with one shark giving rise to a further five. All of these sharks have been in the area for a while because we have grown familiar with each individual as well as their personalities! It was another successful trip…
- Admin
We had a very constant flow of sharks today, with each cage having an abundance of shark sightings! We had three massive sharks making their presence known; the largest being “Slash Fin” at 4.7 meters! The other two were both good 4 meter sized sharks, it was a day of giants! Even though we had a couple of rain drops fall during the trip it was a very nice day to be on the water with amazingly calm conditions. The guests on board were equally entertaining! A great way to spend a Thursday…
- Admin
As another action filled day comes to an end it brings me great joy to see how much respect people have gained for the Great White Shark, once the trip comes to an end! This fact was brought even more to my attention just by the visit that was paid to us by one of the journalists from 50/50. It is great to see that these animals are getting the respect they deserve. We were also very lucky to get a view of the “Shark Men” boat which was anchored in the bay; a truly spectacular vessel. We saw some amazing sharks as well as some box jellies which I find to be always weird looking! What a day…
- Admin
We were blessed with amazing water conditions today and that just made it easier for anyone struggling with ‘motion distress’! Our first shark of the trip was around the 2 meter mark and we gradually worked up to the bigger sharks as the trip progressed. Even the infamous ‘Slash Fin’ made a very brief appearance before bolting of towards the deeper waters. The sharks were coming nice and close to the cage and one of our clients took an amazing underwater picture, congratulations on that one! We also had a sighting of a hagfish in the water, which was a very bizarre looking fish to many people who were not familiar with it! Great day yet again…
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