Shark Cage Diving - Good or Bad ?

Diving with the Blue and Mako Sharks

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:32:24 +0200

Sometimes one manages to get oneself into a situation where, when one has a moment to stand back and think about it for second, one asks oneself how on earth one has managed to do so. Last Saturday was one of those days for me.

I have heard about diving with the Blue and Mako sharks before, but, with the price tag that comes attached to this adventure, I have never really considered it. I have also read an article about a diver diving with these sharks, in which the writer managed to scare me enough to decide to put this one on ice.

I had to get up at 4 in the morning to be in time for the launch, and it was as I was preparing my breakfast that the question came to me whether this breakfast here would be my last meal – not much of a last meal, a bowl of muesli. Not the type of thoughts you want to be having before embarking on the ultimate shark dive!

The mission for the day: We were to go out by boat to about 40 km’s south of Cape Point, where the continental shelf drops off, and the real deep water starts. The plan was to get to the correct spot, and to start chumming the water before we would get into the water ourselves to look for the Blue and Mako sharks. That’s right – we were actually going to be throwing blood and gore into the water before we got in ourselves – without a cage. Madness!

When we were about 20 km’s south of the Peninsula, still on our way out, I started to see a different world out there. There were quite a few birds out there, of types that we don’t see at the coast. Various types of Albatross were effortlessly hanging centimeters above the water (these birds can stay in the air for months on end), and a host of other species of birds were out hunting. Our skipper told us that these birds breed on the Marion Islands, and that they come up to here to hunt for food to feed the little chicks back down south.

After about 40 km’s, our skipper decided that the water looked right, and we started chumming. Quite quickly the call came that a shark was spotted, and we kitted up to get into the water. At this point, the sea was about 1 kilometer deep. I helped some other divers get into the water, and then it was my turn. I had secretly made plans in my head about how to avoid becoming shark food – I thought that I would hang in the middle of the group, I decided not to wear my bright orange fins, so that I wouldn’t attract attention, and I thought that I would be the one to get out 1^st…

And then I rolled over backwards into one of the best experiences of my life.

You descend, and there is nothing below you. Below you is the bluest blue that you have ever seen – it is such a blue that you feel it, as much as you see it. The water out here was crystal clear (about 30m viz), and it was a warm 18 degrees. This is the thing that struck me the most – hanging suspended above the deep blue below you. It was beautiful.

From the moment I descended, I had lost all fear, and I was truly loving the whole experience. We had probably about 10 Blue Sharks that joined us in the water, and every now and again a tuna would swim by hurriedly as well. I never thought I would see a tuna!

The Blue Sharks were extremely inquisitive, even to the point where you have to push them out of your face, in the same way that you would push a dog away that keeps on licking you. Make no mistake, these are sharks, not puppies, but I never got the feeling that there was any real danger.

We also had an elusive Mako Shark join us. The Mako Shark looks a lot more menacing than the Blue Shark, and isrelated to the Great White. While the Blue Sharks were around us and in our faces all the time, the Mako kept its distance. I only saw it twice, quickly cutting through our group of divers, and then it was gone.

An hour and a bit later, I found myself being the only scuba diver left in the water, with our guide free diving down every now and again to join me. It was at this moment where my scuba diving experience came full circle. Hanging there, suspended in the water with the deep blue stretching out below me, on my own, was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. It was a strange mix of awe, of peace, and of freedom. This was it. This is what I had in mind as a child when I imagined what scuba diving would be like. This is what I was looking for when I signed up for my Open Water Course. This was it.

Coral Gardens

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:33:05 +0200

Did you know that one of the leading dive magazines named one of our local Atlantic shore dive sites, Coral Gardens, as one of the top 10 dive sites in South Africa? This is quite impressive, especially if you take into account that the site was competing with the likes of Sodwana and Aliwal Shoal.

Coral Gardens is one of the least dived sites in Cape Town, and also one of the least well known. Seeing the site named as one of the top ten I decided that there is no way that I was going to live in Cape Town and not go and explore this site – take out the and what an experience!

First off: Doing this site as a shore dive is not for the faint hearted, and is only for the seriously adventurous. It is done as a boat dive as well, but boats do not often venture here, as it is quite a long ride out from either Houtbay or the Waterfront. Getting in from the shore you have the choice of either a long surface swim (about 250 meters), or literally abseiling down a slope with a rope (with all your dive gear on).

If however you are willing to take on this kind of challenge, and you are willing to pay the entrance fee of R20 (it is inside the Oudekraal picnic area), an amazing dive awaits you. There are loads of swim-throughs, stunning coral (I’ve never seen nearly as much coral anywhere else in Cape Town, and this explains the name if the site for me – Coral Gardens), and quite a lot of fish life as well.

Over the past 5 years of diving, I have had a certain kind of “moment” 3 or 4 times. The best way to describe my “moment” is that it is like time stops, and what you see is so amazing that you have to remind yourself to take a breath every now and again. One of these “moments” was here in Coral Gardens. After we had been diving for about 20 minutes, I swam into a swim-through, and coming out on the other side I entered what I can best describe as an Amphitheatre. Swirling everywhere high up above me was Hottentot fish, and on every side of me there was the most beautiful coral on walls that seemed to form the perfect amphitheater. It was incredible! I just hung there, suspended in the water and unaware of time… I have never seen something like this before. After what must have been quite some time I snapped out of my euphoric stupor, and I swam on, exiting the Amphitheatre through another swim-through…

This is definitively a site that I can recommend, if you are up for the enormous challenge of getting in and getting out. You can easily make a nice day out of it as well – the picnic area has some good facilities, which means that you can make a family day out of it.

Max depth: about 17 meters

Water temperature: between 9 and 14 degrees.

Nick's dry suit experience

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:53:14 +0200

I had heard mixed stories about dry suit diving – some had mentioned the benefits of diving in the cold (I even know of an instructor who gives pool training in his dry suit)! Others again had mentioned difficulties with maneuvering…so when my dive guru asked me whether I wanted to try his dry suit on a casual dive and then attempt my dry suit specialty, I was very doubtful. I had visions of bobbing around in the ocean like an Oros man…but, always being willing to try something new, I decided to give it a try…and I’m glad that I did!

My transition to dry suit diver began on a rainy, cold afternoon in May – after doing two of the coldest dives that I had ever done. Theo, being a little taken aback that I had been cold in the water, suggested that I take his suit for a fitting in the shop to see if it was comfortable.

For those that have yet to dive in a dry suit, you will soon discover that the secret to dry suit diving is how you enter the suit followed by the exit – the diving in between is just a bonus! It’s not easy to enter a dry suit for the first time – unlike with a wet suit you need to position your feet in the “boots” – easier said than done, but if you can get that right, the rest follows relatively easily.

At first it was a very strange feeling being aware of being in a scuba diving suit but at the same time still wearing your clothes. My first impression of the dry suit was that (bearing in mind that I was still on land) it was like being in a one of the Tintin spacesuits from “Destination Moon”, the only items missing being a glass helmet and a two way radio. This, however, was soon replaced by the feeling of comfort through space – yes, size does matter. With the correct size dry suit on you actually feel quite comfortable! Removing the suit proved to be a bit of a challenge in that one has to take great care at all times not to damage the seals of the suit - one tiny tear in a seal can severely compromise the dry suits’ effectiveness. Fortunately I had the help of the Into the Blue crew on the day, but it does get easier the more you gather experience.

Walking into the water was one of the weirdest feelings I have ever had. I was within the water, but I wasn’t getting wet! You know that familiar cold tingle you get up the spine, as the cold water comes flowing into your wet suit? None of that this time round.

We descended (descending is a bit different in a dry suit, because you also have to let air out of your suit in order to go down) down to about 6 meters. When I reached the bottom, I added some air into the suit, to make sure that I was warm and comfy.

And warm and comfy I was! I did a full dive, without even being aware of the cold. It did not even cross my mind. I can honestly say that it was the best dive of my life up to now. Not only because of the suit (we were diving at Castle Rock, and the marine life there is in pristine condition), but in a large part because of it. On that day we saw lots of Red Romans, and sponges, and I was able to look at them without the stress of being cold.

Was it difficult? For my 1^st time, no. It was quite easy, but I will see how I do in the remainder of my course, as we are heading for some deeper dives then.

Favorite dive sites around Cape Town

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:24:53 +0200

We all have our favourite dive sites. There are many factors that can influence your affinity towards a specific dive site. Some of us like diving on shipwrecks. Some of us enjoy entering an underwater almost out-of-body experience as we descend into the peace that is a reef... or maybe, it is the magic of the sunlight filtering down through the leaves of a kelp forest that keeps drawing you back to your dive site.

Some scuba divers prefer sites that have an easy entry and exit, while others are willing to climb down a cliff side to reach their favourite dive spots.

I have three favourite dive sites.

The first would be the Aster shipwreck, lying just outside Houtbay. It has a maximum depth of 28 meters, and is a fishing vessel that was especially prepared for divers before she was shuttled. She sits upright, and can be penetrated. My favourite feature on this wreck is the fact that the mast is still intact - which means that you can do a large portion of your ascent along the mast.

My second favourite is Vulcan Rock, a bit further out of Houtbay. This site is a reef, and my favourite part of this site is the cave/swim-through, of which the entrance is at a depth of about 15 meters. Is has four entry point, and is probably about 20-30 meters long. While diving inside the cave, there is often a deep rumbling sound, as what sounds like a huge boulder that is being moved around by the ocean.

My third site is the wreck of the SAS Pietermaritzburg. Formerly known as the HMS Pelorus, she has been scuttled in 1994. The thing that attracts me most on this ship is her history - she was one of the leading ships in the D-day invasions, deployed as a mine sweeper. When I dive around her, I like to imagine that day... canons booming, sailors shouting and running around on her, the sky filled with planes and smoke... quite spooky!

What about you ? What are your favourite dive spots ? Why do you like them ?

Shark Cage Diving - Good or Bad ?

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:08:01 +0200

Shark Cage Diving has split the local scuba diving community in two. There is a clear divide between divers who are completely against it, and the one's who argue that it does not do any harm, and may even benefit the sharks in the end.

Arguments against it are that the practise of chumming (throwing dead fish and blood in the water to attract sharks) attract more sharks to the area than would have been the case naturally, and this argument is has been fanned on by spikes in attacks on surfers and swimmers by great whites. Another argument against it is about the fish/animals that gets to have the unlucky role of being the actual chum. There have been reports that 7 gilled sharks have been used - to the dismay of each and every single diver. 7 Gilled Cow Sharks are very primitive sharks - some say the most primitive of all sharks - and they are a favourite amongst divers. They are relatively harmless - almost no teeth - and we have come to love out little local colony of 7 gills living of the coast of Simonstown.

Then there is also the argument that we are interfering with nature - feeding sharks is the same thing as feeding baboons - it is bound to have negative consequences in the end, and alter their behaviour.

Proponents for sharks cage diving argue that it creates more awareness regarding great white sharks. People don't care about things they do not love, and you cannot fall in love with a shark without being exposed to it. We still suffer from the curse that the movie "Jaws" has brought upon us - fear of the great white - and by exposing people to the great white, we can create an awe and love for the shark, which in the end will hopefully help change our perception of the shark, and ultimately save it from extinction.

Apart from that, the argument goes, it has also created a lot of local jobs - there are 7 different Shark Cage diving companies, with numerous booking companies, transportation companies, guest houses, etc, all feeding of Great White tourism.

I myself have went on one of these Shark Cage dives. Having seen them personally did indeed make quite an impression on me - on that day, looking into the sharks eye, I realised that I would never want to see one of these under water while not being in my cage.