July 14th, 2016

Day 106: Hermanus – Great White Cage Diving

When Igor originally planned our week in South Africa, we planned for us to go cage diving to see Great White Sharks in Cape Town, as South Africa is one of the few countries in the world that does not prohibit chumming the waters (i.e. dumping fish guts in the water to attract the sharks). However, when Igor asked Russell from Green Bushpig Safaris for his recommendation, he told us that the best operators are near Hermanus – a good 2hrs from Cape Town. Since we were on the road already, we didn’t have time to research and reserve anything, so we asked our hotel if there was anything they could book us last minute. Luckily, Great White Shark Tours had room on their afternoon tour, so we had time for a walk on the beach and a leisurely breakfast before heading out to Gansbaai.

 

Early morning walk on the beach in Hermanus

The Great White Shark tour was AWESOME! We were lucky enough to see a shark hunting a seal as we were setting anchor for the dive (thankfully, the seal got away – we didn’t want to see the poor thing die), and we had at least two sharks actively swimmingly around our cage and interacting with the decoy and bait.

The worst part of the diving wasn’t the fear of the sharks – it was the water temperature. Lucky for us it was a warm sunny day, but the water was still 59 degrees – and we had loose-fitting wetsuits, not dry suits, so we were COLD. But the views of the sharks were totally worth it – they look so *powerful* up close – and you can tell they are totally looking at you through the cage and sizing you up! Since the sharks were so active during our dives, only half of the group opted for a second dive (including Igor, of course), so we had time to drive through “Shark Alley” – a narrow passage between two rock islands that are home to a colony of about 60K seals, which is prime hunting territory. In fact, a film crew from the Discovery Channel was on hand shooting footage for “Shark Week” specials.

 

Second breakfast and a video safety briefing before cage diving

 

The “Apex Predator” – our cage diving boat

 

Local seabirds have learned they can get a free sandwich from the boat

A near predation! A juvenile Great White Shark goes after a seal, but the seal escapes (barely)

 

In addition to chum, the tour operators used a seal-shaped cut-out and a chunk of tuna to lure the sharks to the cage

 

Predictably, Igor is the first person to jump into the cage!

 

A huge female shark is very interested in the cage and makes repeated passes

 

Igor is cold but super happy after his first cage dive – he goes back in for a second turn!

 

Lindsay finally gets into the frigid waters and sees the Great White Sharks up close

 

The Great White Shark is going for the bait

 

As she swims by, there is no doubt she is sizing us up and looking for a chance to take a nibble!

 

A crew from the Discovery Channel is filming the seal colony at “Shark Alley”

We got back to the shore around 3PM, which gave us just enough time to drive across the bay to Betty’s Bay, which is home to a large colony of South African “Jackass” Penguins (apparently the name is thanks to their very loud squawking). After our experiences in New Zealand and Australia, waiting quietly in a hide or walking trails with a red-filter flashlight for some very shy penguins, we were anxious the get to the beach early, so we could have a chance to spot the birds. Well, there’s no need to worry about missing the Jackass Penguins because they are not shy at all! When we arrived, huge groups were waddling up the boat ramp and walking right by all the amateur photographers camped out on the beach. Apparently there is actually a problem with tourists getting *too close* to the penguins and getting bitten! (No, Igor didn’t get bitten.)

 

Jackass Penguins walking up the boat ramp at Betty’s Bay

 

Easy wildlife photography

Photographing Jackass Penguins in Betty’s Bay, South Africa

 

Penguins weren’t the only critters around – these fat Rock Dassies were also pretty cute

 

Dozens of Jackass Penguins coming in to shore at sunset

 

The endangered South African Penguin

 

As we were leaving the beach, we see one lone penguin trying to cross the street

So far, South Africa had been an absolute blast – every day brings a new and thrilling animal encounter! With the day ending on a great note, we headed back to our hotel. Since the Hermanus Beachfront Lodge isn’t within walking distance of any restaurants, we decided to take advantage of our kitchenette and have a home cooked meal so we could both enjoy a bottle of bubbly and save a little money as a bonus.

 

Spaghetti & salad (with LOTS of grated cheese!), and some brownies for dessert in our little apartment – cozy!