Swimming with Sharks

This may very well have been the biggest adrenaline rush of my entire life.

Today, Dad, Keith, and I swam with great white sharks in Gansbaai, South Africa (Mom and Cheryl enjoyed the view from the boat). We took a short boat ride out to what is known as shark alley. The great whites love this stretch of water due to its close proximity to an island which inhabits approx. 50,000 fur seals (their favorite snack!). The waves were pretty rocky and the sea gulls (which made me more nervous than the sharks, no joke) were everywhere. I was slightly concerned that we were going to have to wait to actually see our first shark, but after maybe 5 minutes of chumming the water with fish guts and large tunas, one came right up to the boat- mouth open and hungry! Many people at this point decided to opt out of the cage experience...def not me though.

The view from the boat was amazing as the guides brought the sharks to the top of the water with the chum. The sharks varied in size from 10 to 14 feet long...Here is a picture my dad took before we actually got in the cage:

The experience of actually getting in the water was amazing! You go in 5 or 6 people at a time and wait until the guide spots a shark (there was very little waiting time). Once he spots it, he basically throws the tuna right in front of the cage and the shark comes and tries to eat it. I know I talked a big game of wanting to pet the shark, but after having it come straight at us, teeth and all, I changed my mind. At one point, the shark was so close that we all pushed to the back of the cage for fear that our hands would be the sharks next snack!!! So crazy!! Here is a picture of us in the cage (dad, me, keith) saying good-bye to mom and cheryl...brrr the water was cold!


The last 5 minutes of the dive were by far the most amazing 5 minutes of my life. We had a series of sharks pacing back in forth in front of the cage. There were many seals jumping around in the area and the sharks were hungry. I was a little nervous one was going to get snagged right in front of us, but fortunately it happened about 20 feet away. Those on the boat saw the thrashing and bloody water, poor seal. Anyways, after all the pacing there was one shark who kept charging the cage head on, then at the last minute (like 3 feet in front of us) would dart in another direction. I think he got sick of that game because on his last pass he charged right into the cage with his body and thrashed around hitting both my dad and I with his fin! I know I said I wanted to pet the shark, but I pictured it going down on my terms!

I can now officially cross this off my list... swimming with (and touching!) a great white shark- done and done!