Swimming with sharks was on our wish list when we started our round the world adventure. When we asked each of the boys what they wanted to do on our round the world trip Dylan’s response was “to dive with sharks.” Originally we had planned to cage dive with Great White Sharks in Gainsbaai near Cape Town. Unfortunately poor weather and rough seas meant that this trip was cancelled. We found an alternative however, and what a fantastic alternative it turned out to be. Blue Wilderness is a company operating out of Scottburgh, south of Durban. They offer cage diving and free swimming with Oceanic Black Tip Sharks.
Staying in Durban our day started early as we had to be at Scottburgh by 8am. A one hour drive got us there on time. On arrival we met Odette, a larger than life character, who explained the day and gave us a full safety briefing. She was super knowledgable and passionate about sharks, in fact all ocean life. We were lucky as it was just us on the boat today, along with Muller, our dive master, Justin, the cameraman and Phila, the boat driver. Once we were in our wet suits we were on our way, down to the beach and into the boat.
It was a surf launch, very exciting in itself. We had been told that this was the most dangerous part of our day and all put on our life jackets in preparation. After helping to position the boat upright on the beach we jumped aboard and a tractor gave the hefty push which launched us into the sea. Pilar expertly got us out through the large breaking waves, with us sat on the dinghy sides hanging onto the safety ropes. It was just like being on a rollercoaster but we made it out safely. It was then a fifteen minute ride out to Durban’s Aliwal Shoal where we would swim with the Oceanic Black Tips.
Once at the dive site a bait bucket was thrown over the side of the boat filled with the sharks favourite food, sardines. Immediately there were Oceanic Black Tips circling the boat. The cage was put into the water and the boys climbed in. Initially they were terrified, even surrounded by a cage, but gradually they calmed down and began to look under the water with their masks and snorkels.
Blue Wilderness allows you to cage dive with the sharks or swim freely. During our introduction Odette had told us how safe it was to swim with the Oceanic Black Tips. She had gone to great lengths to explain that sharks do not eat humans. Shark attacks are the result of mistaken identity. For example, humans on surf boards look like the Great White’s favourite food, turtles. Sharks swimming in murky waters can also mistake humans for food. She had also dispelled the myths of ‘Jaws’ saying simply that it was a Hollywood shark!
Both Dave and I decided to swim freely with the sharks without the cage. It was an amazing experience. There must have been over twenty Oceanic Black Tip sharks circling us, many of them two metres in length. The sharks are curious and swim really close, bumping into you with their tails or dorsal fins. It is a remarkable experience to be able to look a shark in the eye as it swims by. They are doing the same to you in return!
The ocean swell can be quite large in these waters, for us it was about 2 metres. Obviously it’s a bit strange getting into a sea with 2 metre waves coming through. However the rollers were well spaced and once we were in the water it became less noticeable. Everyone is advised to take motion sickness tablets and so maybe ours helped to calm the sensations from seas like this.
The boys were by now all looking at the sharks in the water around them. Flynn was the most confident and first out of the cage. He swam with me for a time, managing to keep his arms firmly crossed across his chest. You have to keep your arms tucked in so that they don’t get mistaken for a sardine flapping in the water! Logan was next out of the cage, followed by Dylan. The boys did amazingly well, overcoming their initial fears to get into the sea with many large sharks circling them.
It was a fabulous experience, one which we will remember forever. We spent over an hour in the water with the sharks.
Afterwards we made our way back to shore and navigated back through the surf. On the way back in it’s a case of waiting for the right wave to come along then riding it in the speedboat until you hit shore! You come in pretty fast and the it’s a sudden stop as the boat beaches, it’s a lot of fun. After that it was back to the Blue Wilderness base where we were greeted with warm drinks and sandwiches.
It takes a while for the video of the day to be edited, so we were able to spend more time with Odette and Mueller talking about all things oceanic. The boys were captivated by stories about the different sharks, whales and fish that Odette and Mueller have been with in the water. They added more life to this by showing some of their own video clips and some documentary clips. It was all ad-hoc and based on the conversations at that moment, which made it much more interesting than a formula presentation. We now have a list of sharks and whales the boys would like to swim with!
Our video of the day, produced by Blue Wilderness, is a great representation of the amazing adventure we enjoyed.
WHY WE CHOSE BLUE WILDRENESS?
We would highly recommend swimming with sharks with Blue Wilderness. They are the pioneers of shark diving on Durban’s Aliwal Shoal. Numerous international documentaries feature their work including shows on National Geographic and Discovery channel. Blue Wilderness boast a 100% safety record. Their strict ‘no touch’ policy ensures that neither guests or guides harass any of the sharks. This means you stay safe, and the sharks are respected! Blue Wilderness’s purpose is to conserve sharks through education, entertainment and excitement. Expeditions are aimed at turning guests into ambassadors for shark conservation…they certainly have three new recruits in Dylan, Logan and Flynn.
