scruffian

We got back from the boat at around lunchtime and after we had lunch we decided to walk to Boulders Bay. This is a penguin colony so we got to see some nice penguins.

It was also quite interesting seeing the rocks and doing a little rock climbing on them.

It is quite strange when you get to Boulders Bay as there are fences and walkways that make it look a bit like a zoo. You think the penguins are caged in until you realise that it’s you that is being kept where they want you! Penguins nest in holes in the ground so it is actually quite important that people don’t walk over their nests. We saw some baby penguins. Penguins don’t smell all that good.

At Boulders Bay you can pay to go on one beach or go on the next one free. This seemed a bit strange as the free beach had nice rocks, sand and penguins a lot like the beach you have to pay on. Some Americans came to see the penguins whilst we were there too. About 5 penguins hopped out of the sea right near us. The Americans insisted on trying to get the penguins to interact with them. Why can’t people just watch animals doing what they do? They were lucky not to be pecked. Penguins are good at pecking.

Then we walked back to our room. We were very tired as it had been some busy days and early starts but we didn’t want to go to sleep as we didn’t want to waste the holiday! So we wandered around Simon’s Town a bit and then went and got some dinner.

Ben tried Springbok for dinner. This is a sort of small antelope and he thought it was very tasty. I think that was his favourite meal. I had cape salmon. I don’t really like fish so I decided while we were on holiday with very fresh fish I would try some. It was pretty nice.

End of Day 5.

Back to Day 5: part 1
On to Day 6

Day 5 was a really good day in our holiday. We were in Simon’s Town and scheduled for our first white shark breaching trip. These trips are run by Chris and Monique Fallows and their website is www.apexpredators.com. Their photographs are some of the most amazing I have ever seen but also they were really really nice people. They do a lot of work to try to conserve the great white shark as it is being attacked so much more than it attacks. South Africa is thought to be ahead in terms of shark conservation but it seems like they are protecting it with one hand, only to kill it with the other.

Our trip started at 6.45am at the harbour. By heading off when it’s still dark you have the greatest chance of seeing great whites preying on the seals at Seal Island. They leap out of the water with their whole body as they zoom up from the bottom to take seals swimming on the surface. I had a bit of a panic early on as the boat goes quite fast and I was still very shaken from the rough seas of the previous day. Monique and Chris were so kind though that I was able to get through it and enjoy the trip.

There were only 5 guests on the boat and Chris and Monique so we had lots of opportunity to talk to Chris and Monique about their work. They do a lot of research into white sharks and documented every shark we saw to contribute to what we know about sharks. They also were involved in making the shallow seas part of Planet Earth on the BBC – the bit with white sharks was filmed on their boat with them!

Although we didn’t see any breaching, we did see about 8 different great whites during our trip. The trip lasts until about 1pm. They don’t need to chum around Seal Island as there are so many sharks there, they just have a decoy (a carpet cut-out of a seal) and a bit of tuna. The atmosphere on the boat was like nothing I have experienced. Chris and Monique really love the sharks and could tell us so much about them. I have been reading about sharks for years, but they knew much more than I did. Also it was calm and relaxed and most of the sharks were very calm and relaxed too.

Often the sharks would swim silently up to the boat, take a look at us and swim round. We got fantastic views of the sharks, and also time to observe them behaving quite naturally. Each individual shark had its own character. One shark which we called Myrtle was quite cunning as she would wait under or near the boat until we weren’t expecting her and then come very quietly and pinch the bait before we had noticed! She did this so many times that eventually she got all the bait!

It was also really interesting to see how Chris and Monique identify the sharks and write down their identifying features so that if they see the shark again they will be able to recognise them. Some sharks had beautiful mottling on their dorsal fin, and others were very white by their tail fin. Another one had dark spots on its side and quite a few had scars where the seals had fought back.

I had gone to South Africa hoping to see a great white shark. Already I had seen 13, but also had had the opportunity to share that experience with people who love and know a lot about great whites. With so few people on board I was soon brave enough to ask my questions and Chris and Monique were so nice and friendly that I was able to ask everything I could think of. In fact that evening Ben and I tried to think of more questions to ask the next day!

Back to Day 4
On to Day 5 part 2

Tuesday was a big day: our first chance to see the great white sharks in Gansbaai. We headed off to the shark diving centre at around 9am and had a bit of breakfast there, and then started out on the trip.

It was still quite windy and grey but it wasn’t raining. However, the storm from the few days before meant that there was a really big swell – I was terrified. There were only 4 guests on the boat, including us (not typical I think but they were willing to take out such a small group) and 5 crew. I have never seen such enormous waves let alone been out in a boat on them. Unsurprisingly we didn’t get many pictures (two in total!) but they did make a DVD which they will send us.

As you may have gathered this was a real challenge for me. I wasn’t frightened of the sharks but was terrified of the waves. As we drove out we were meant to sit facing inwards in the cabin area but I really needed to see out so I stood at the front. The boat would soar skywards and then plummet into a trough.

The other thing that was a bit of a problem for me is that I am an emetophobe. This means I have an irrational fear of vomit – doing it myself, or others doing it. I am very embarrassed by this as when people are ill I ought to be very sympathetic and caring. Obviously no-one likes vomit but I get clammy, heart pumping etc etc. I think the biggest issue for me is the mess. So I was very uncomfortable in this situation. And one of the other guests vomited copiousy all over himself. Ben was also sick but I didn’t know (he is extremely good at keeping away from me if he is sick and understanding my apparent lack of sympathy: sorry).

Anyway, we managed to get our cage dive. They put chum in the water to attract the sharks and make them more aggressive, but it also meant we didn’t have to wait very long for them to come. There were 5 sharks while we were in the cage – a long cage attached to the boat so all 4 in at once. This was fortunate in this situation as it meant we didn’t have to wait around for everyone to have a turn!

The sharks were breath-taking. They came really close to the cage and I was really glad we had managed to see some. I did find over the next few days that in a quieter and more relaxed atmosphere you have a much better opportunity to watch the sharks and discover their individual characters (more later). I think the sea was so rough that the crew on the dive boat had to be really rushed to get us in, out and home again but also it’s quite commerical. I suppose their main clientelle are those seeking an adrenaline rush so they want the sharks to seem aggressive, but that really wasn’t what we were after. I also think that doesn’t do the sharks any favours because there is much much more to sharks than that – it’s such a small part of what sharks are like.

I think the other problem for me on this trip was the feeling of having absolutely no control or way of escape. Again perhaps because they were so busy when I said I was frightened there was no response at all from any of the crew.

Anyway, the highlight of the trip (a three day long highlight!) was still to come, but we had achieved my dream of diving with sharks, even if it was at quite a high personal cost!

That afternoon we were driven to Simon’s Town where we stayed for two days. I think this was our favourite place as it was a pretty harbour town with a nice atmosphere.

In the evening we ate in the poshest restaurent we had been to and it was really cheap! About £20 (I think!) for a fancy dinner including pre-dinner sherry, wine, coffee and dessert! Ben tried Swordfish – he said it was ok but quite meaty for a fish. I wasn’t quite up to eating fish after the day’s activities!

End of day 4.

Back to day 3
On to day 5: part 1

On Monday it was still a bit cold and windy and the sea was very rough so we couldn’t go diving. Instead we went to visit some underwater caves which are really near the sea in Gansbaai. They have got big pools of fresh water in, which is very rich in minerals so they used to be used for a health spa. Now the caves are locked up because they have stalagtites (hanging down) and stalamites (growing upwards) that were being damaged by tourists.

There are also bats in the caves – they were quite small and sweet and are called horseshoe bats as they have a horseshoe shaped mouth.

In the caves the air temperature was much higher than the outside temperature – by maybe 6 degrees or something – quite a lot. The water was also the same termperature as the air but it felt much much colder! Me and Ben went for a swim in the pools which was fun. It was a good way of getting a close up look at the stalagtites and stalagmites and there was a stone at one side of the pool which you could sit on.

We also went for some walks around the rocks and did a little climbing. There were quite good rocks in Gansbaai and also we found a grave.

Also Ben’s bag arrived on Monday. A bag for me arrived too – but it someone else’s and was meant to be in Sao Paulo!

We had dinner at the local pub in the evening (the only one!) which was good. They are pretty into their steaks and also Monkeygland Sauce which Ben liked a lot. It tastes quite like sweet and sour sauce. Another day we had a pizza with it on which I did not really think was so great but Ben liked it a lot.

End of day 3.

Back to Day 2
On to Day 4

On Sunday it was a bit rainy and windy. We were scheduled to go for a shark cage dive but the weather was too bad. In some ways this was quite a good thing as it gave us a chance to go and buy some clothes!

The Roundhouse in Gansbaai is a really nice place to stay. It really is round and our room was quite round as well! It also has viewing platforms all around as there are often whales in the bay. Although it’s not really whale season yet we still saw one whale from the Roundhouse and another when we were out on a boat. The whale we saw from the Roundhouse was a Southern Right Whale. We also had a really nice bathroom when we staying at the Roundhouse which is very good for me as I love having a bath, especially when it is rainy outside.

There is also a really funny dog who lives at the Roundhouse. He is called Stavros and he is very small but he thinks he is big. He follows you when you go for a walk and he can walk in the road and avoid the cars or make them stop for him.

As we didn’t have any clothes the people who had arranged the holiday for us, Dave and Elna, took us down to their shark shop and we got some fleeces and hats and t-shirts. Then they drove us 2 hours to Cape Town so we could get some clothes. It was very kind of them and also helped a lot as Gansbaai is very small and there were no underwear shops or anything.

It was also good as it meant I could get some ear drops. I got a cold a few days before we went and on the plane my ears hurt really badly and I couldn’t get them to pop and then when we got off the plane I couldn’t hear so I was glad we got ear drops.

Then we went back to Gansbaai and we went to a restaurent which was really nice. We were the only customers as it is winter there – that is the best season for sharks but not for the weather. The restaurent owner drove us back to the Roundhouse when we had finished – that was often what we found – that people would do a lot for you to help you out and make things better for you.

End of day 2.

Back to Day 1
On to Day 3

Well we are back from our shark holiday and had the most fantastic time – even better than I had imagined. I thought I would write about each day, partly to help me not feel so sad it’s over! I think I shouldn’t feel sad as it was so excellent but at the moment I wish I was still in South Africa.

So we set off from home at about 1.30am on Saturday 19th May. It was very early. Ben drove and I slept. Thank you to Ben for everything – this holiday was really for me as I am mad about sharks and he did everything he could to make it perfect. Now he likes sharks quite a lot too.

We did purple parking which is where you park quite near the airport (Heathrow) and then go in a minibus to the airport. It was good and quite cheap.

In the airport they had told us to be there 3 hours before the flight (take off at about 6.30am I think) but there wasn’t anyone from the airline around to check in until 5am which was a bit annoying.

We flew to Amsterdam and then from there to Cape Town so the whole flying time was about 12-13 hours. I had been a bit worried about this as I’m not all that keen on flying but actually it was fine. On the plane from Amsterdam it was a Boeing 777 so it was quite big which meant that the movement was more stable and comfortable and we had screens in the back of each seat with films, TV and games as well as flight tracking so you could see where you were and how high and things so that was quite good. Ben enjoyed Tetris.

Then we got to Cape Town at about 10.30pm – there is only 1 hour difference as it is straight down the world to South Africa so that was good. Then we had the biggest disaster of the trip which was that our luggage didn’t arrive. They were very bad about it – no compensation and only an answerphone on the number they gave us. But we decided we mustn’t let it spoil our adventure and also clothes are pretty cheap in South Africa. And I had packed some crucial things in my hand luggage so we were ok. Also the people we booked with were very helpful, and stopped on the way to pick up some things.

Then we were driven to Gansbaai (pronounced Hans-buy) which took about 2 hours. It was very stormy and rainy and also dark so we slept a bit and couldn’t see much (photo from a return journey!).

Our first place we stayed was the Roundhouse in Gansbaai and it was really nice.

End of day 1.

On to Day 2