Shark Cage Diving:

Have you ever wondered what it would really be like to be face to face with one of the most renowned sharks in the world… the infamous great white shark or "Jaws?" Well, over the past couple months I have been wondering the same because I knew that when I arrived in South Africa I would have the chance. Swimming with the sharks is generally not a problem for me, but this situation seemed a little different and prompted two dilemmas for me.

First, I realize that in the world of risks a shark attack is actually quite rare. However, I also know that I am only a short way on this long trip and having to cut it short because of losing a limb or something worse would be quite disheartening. Also, even though I love the water, one of my worst fears is drowning, and I wanted to make sure that the cage floated so that I would not have to decide between drowning and facing the hungry shark in chummed water!

Putting my fears aside, I set my mind on attempting the dive because there really is not any other place in the world that can guarantee that you will see a great white shark. With just a little encouragement, I also had Ian signed up for the dive. So, we set off at 5:30am the next morning and drove to a small town called Gaansbai, where we hopped on our 36-foot boat and began our quest to see the sharks. The boat took us a few kilometers down the coast, and we eventually set anchor about 2 miles offshore and began chumming. The groups are not allowed to feed the sharks, so instead they mix seawater and the chum together and then throw the chum smelling seawater overboard to attract the sharks. Apparently the sharks can smell the chum up to 5 miles away, and the crew attaches a tuna head to the end of a line for the shark's visible object to attack.

It took about an hour of waiting before the sharks showed up, and the first shark was about 11-12 feet long and possibly a couple thousand pounds. The dive master then signaled four of us to hop into the cage, and we kept an eye on the cut off tuna head because they would use the head in order to draw the shark towards the cage. I jumped in with my full wetsuit on, ready to add another daring act to my list of being young and dumb! The water was un-normally warm… I am not sure if it was because of my adrenalin was rushing or if it was naturally that way, but it made me not want to leave the cage. Also, since the great whites are surface feeders, we actually did not use scuba, but instead just free dived when the shark would come close to the cage.

I was in the cage watching the tuna head and waiting for the shark to return, then someone from the top of the boat would spot it and yell at us to dive. So, I dived down straining my eyes looking in the murky water, and quite suddenly the 2,000 pound beast appeared out of nowhere and was coming at the cage with great speed. The crewman reeled in the tuna head, and the shark lurched out of the water right at cage while trying to attack the tuna. The shark passed within a few centimeters of me, and my heart rushed, while I thought that this was the coolest and could end up as one of the stupidest actions of my life. After the shark passed, he circled around and came back a few more times before moving on, and then I felt comfortable with the cage and could not wait for the next shark to come. We saw about five sharks in total for the day, and while it seems daring, I actually think that it is one of the safest/daring acts that I have attempted. I am now headed north to Namibia, land of the largest sand dunes and the second largest canyon in the world, so till then, Cheers.