Swimming with Sharks and Seals
Maybe it’s the annual Shark Week on the Discovery Channel or the interest in unusual activities and risk but when South Africa was placed on our itinerary, I immediately put “Shark Cage Dive” as a must-do. Several times we discussed other experiences, as a shark dive was nowhere close to a budget-friendly option but I never wavered. I wanted badly to get in the water with the powerful predators of the sea.
Notice the marks on top of the great white. A cape fur seal, the great white's favorite prey, fought back at one point using its sharp teeth and claws.
Dive Day approached and the weather was unfavorable in Gaansbai, the shark diving capital of South Africa. Cloudy skies and high winds had us out at sea with 2-meter swells. If you don’t want to do the conversion, this meant that the waves were taller than me. After a choppy fifteen minute boat ride, we approached a buoy and a large cage. The crew dropped two anchors, attached the cage to the side of the boat and we were ready to go.
Before climbing over the boat and into the cage, we zipped up our wetsuits, grabbed a pair of goggles, and put on belt full of lead weights. For simplicity, a foot or so of the cage was above water so you could stand in the cage without a breathing apparatus. When the crew yelled, “Left!” or “Right!” to warn you of an approaching shark, you merely took a deep breath and stuck your head under the water for a closer look.
Within ten minutes, we saw our first great white. Clearly attracted by the crew’s fish oil slick and a seal-shaped buoy, the shark approached the boat and brushed by the cage. As we ducked to get a better view, the two marine biologists onboard and the half a dozen volunteers they brought with them took notes of the shark’s length and fin markings for research.
A great white breaches the water and attacks the bait left floating above.
After 20 minutes or so of close encounters and riding the intense swells, the captain of the boat instructed Kimberly, me, and the first group in the cage to make way for the second group. As the second group climbed in, we were treated to hot chocolate, snacks, and a second-level viewing platform of the action below.
As we watched from the deck above, we had mixed feelings about what was transpiring. Sure there were biologists taking diligent notes “for conservation efforts” by recording fin markings and growth of the nine different sharks we saw that day, but the crew was purposely leading the bait and sharks near the cage to increase the interaction with the paying customers—even after specifically advertising that they didn’t take this approach. Doing so caused the sharks to hit the cage, sometimes violently, and existing or occurring damage to the shark's nose was visible. For the rest of the trip and afterwards, we had this conflict that we had disrupted the shark's environment and the trip had only benefited us, not the shark.
After getting back to land, I sent a message to my cousin, Mac asking if he had any recommendations for South Africa. Mac is a conservationist and photographer and about a year ago, went on assignment to document the relationship between sharks and the growing community of False Bay. In his research, he studied the great white’s favorite prey, the cape fur seal. “Go snorkeling with the seals!” was Mac’s response.
A phone call and a day later, Kimberly and I were on a much more modest inflatable vessel heading out to Duiker Island to check out the cape fur seal. When we arrived…minds blown. Hundreds of cape fur seals small and large playfully swam in the protected waters of this natural refuge. The guide instructed us that given the water current, layout of the rocks, and heavy kelp of the cove, great whites have figured out that it’s unsafe to hunt seals there. When tested, seals fight back with their teeth and claws. Here, their large numbers combined with the cul-de-sac layout of Duiker Island gave them the advantage.
Cape fur seals torpedo around me as I free-dive for a closer look.
We followed the same approach to the shark dive by zipping up our wetsuits and grabbing goggles and a snorkel only this time when we went over the side of the boat, it wasn’t into a cage, it was into open water. The next 45 minutes were nothing short of spectacular. With one “don’t touch” rule, we floated and snorkeled amongst some of the most playful and curious creatures of the sea. I have likened it to being in a room of a hundred puppies…darting around you with a high level of intrigue and taking harmless nibbles at your camera and body while you grin and observe.
A cape fur seal jumps in on a picture of Kimberly
Our time spent observing one of South Africa’s most popular food chains was enlightening. Both creatures were incredible to watch and interact with in their respective environments but we believe that the tourism surrounding the great white may treat it like the bully it’s misunderstood to be--more harsh and without consideration. That being said, we found our time with the cape fur seals to be more natural, enjoyable, and less disruptive.