This morning was the best so far: we were supposed to have an “exclusive” which is for just a certain group of people, but they canceled because their helicopter couldn’t make it out of Cape Town. So it was just the other volunteer, Kelly, the head of the volunteers who day by day gets slightly more annoying and condescending, two crew members Shaun and Maoli and the skipper, Grant. We went out and the sea was a bit bumpy, and the visibility wasn’t too good but we got everything ready like we usually do. Someone starts chumming and another person is on the bait line (which is a rope with tuna heads tied on). Everyday is different out here, you never know when – or if – a shark is going to come. I think we waited about twenty minutes for our first guy and he was a good size for here: about 3 meters. Because of over fishing and poaching, Kleinbaai doesn’t get big sharks anymore, only juveniles ranging mostly from 2 to 3 meters, and when you do see one that’s 3 meters, boy does it make a difference. The thing is huge! It’s very sad, though. People say that just ten years ago they would get the full-sized adults here, but not anymore, and in another ten years there may not be any. South African waters are protected, but all a poacher needs to do is sail out to international waters and he can catch anything he wants. It’s disgusting.
Anyway, back to this morning. We stayed out for about 2.5 hours and we got 8 sharks. It was so cool. Quite a few times we had two or more sharks at the same time. And, there were these two, Mini Notch and #7, who would rotate trying to get the bait. I’ve seen Mini Notch for the past three days, which is unusual, but very cool to keep seeing one certain shark. I feel like I’m getting to know her. We had a couple of feisty ones today. One actually caught the bait and took off with it. Luckily, Maoli kept a grip on it, and got it back, but after the shark swam from one side off the stern to one side off the bow. He was thrashing and splashing water everywhere. It was so much fun to watch. I was hoping we’d get a tooth out of it (stuck in the buoy) but no luck. It does happen sometimes. There was another shark who would swim sideways next to the book each time he missed the bait. The whole time we were there we kept trying to get the sharks close enough so we could pet them, and we got pretty close, but no cigar. I want to pet one so bad! Maybe someday… We also had two little buggers spyhop today, which is when they take their head out of the water to look above the surface. They look pretty funny doing it, but it just shows how smart and curious they are.
So a typical day here in Kleinbaai (outside of Gansbaai) starts pretty early in the morning, usually around 6 or 6:30. Once we had to get up at 5:30, so now 6:30 doesn’t sound so bad. We get up, meet in the garage where all the gear is stored, and pack up the wetsuits, which we cleaned, dried and organized the day before, and put them in the ‘bucky” which is just a tiny little truck. We also have booties, life jackets and the bait (frozen tuna) to put in. Then we drive down to the “lodge” which is where the office for White Shark Projects is (just about a block down the road) and we drop off the life jackets and pick up the towels, food and drinks for the boat. Then we drive down to the boat (about another block down) where it is parked on land with 7 other shark diving boats. We load everything up, clean and dry the surfaces, tie down the cage, and we’re basically ready. Then we get a break for breakfast and to get ready for the day, and then about 15 minutes before the launch we head down to the lodge again and wait for the clients to come out so we can put their life jackets on. Then it’s down to the boat again, where we all get on and a tractor pulls us to the water and we sail away.
On the boat there are many jobs. Us volunteers are usually in charge of wetsuits and getting the clients dressed and ready (goggles, weights). Once that’s done we go on to other jobs. I like to do data, which is collecting information on the sharks we see and writing it down on a form. The one job we’re not supposed to do is the bait line, because the sharks are so fast and so strong, but I got to do it once. Luckily a shark didn’t come so I didn’t have to pull it in so the shark wouldn’t get it. The cage we have is a five-person cage that is attached to the side of the boat. I’ve gotten to go in twice now. The first time I went, the visibility was very poor so I only saw one shark, but it was still amazing. The second time, the visibility was a bit better, and the water was slightly warmer (about 10 degrees Celsius) and I saw a lot more. They didn’t get too close to the cage, but would swim right by it. A lot of the time, I’d just see shadows passing in the distance, but it’s still worth it. I could have gone in again this morning, but didn’t. And who knows, maybe if I did, and we’d put the cage in, we wouldn’t have gotten the amount of sharks, or the action we did get. And I enjoy watching from the top, so I don’t feel too bad about not going in.
The thing that’s surprised me most about this project is how gentle and docile these animals are. I’m not going to lie: I expected Shark Week with sharks jumping out of the water left and right, and banging against the boat, but they’re really not like that. They just swim. They check things out. They’re very curious animals that just want to know what’s going on around them. I think it would surprise you to see them as I have.
The behavior that I’ve seen is very typical for the summer season, where the water is actually colder, and there is less prey around, so the sharks don’t expend too much energy. However, in the winter when the water is warmer, and there are lots of baby seals everywhere, that’s when you get your Shark Week footage with breeching sharks. So, needless to say, I’ll be coming back in the winter. I want to see a flying shark. It seems like the two seasons produce two different sharks, so I’d love to see the other side of them, and see more action. But, being here now is totally worth it.
Where I am is actually pretty cold. It’s very windy which really chills you. Yesterday, though, it was frickin hot. Kelly said it was about 37, which I’ll have to look up (of course) but it was so hot we couldn’t really do anything. We only had one trip in the morning, so for the afternoon, after we cleaned the wetsuits and all that business, we just laid around, trying not to move. Thankfully the house doesn’t get very hot and stays cool enough for us to stay inside. I don’t know what we would have done if it was hot in here, too.
Seen some dolphins (which the sharks eat) and some seals. No penguins, though. L
Everyday here is pretty much the same; with the only thing differing is the sharks. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve seen some everyday, and that they’ve stayed around the boat for a while. Just another week until I head off to Zimbabwe, but I’m already trying to figure out when I can come back here. And so I can go on a safari. I want to see some zebras!
Funny side note – Jimmy, the Australian, and I were talking about smores, so I said I would make him some. Unbeknownst to me, Jimmy goes out a buys the supplies. He got the mallows right, but he got crackers, like those white crackers you would eat with cheese, and he bought chocolate with nuts. I was in shock. At least he tried, right? I just ate the marshmallows that night.