Phase II of Conquering My Fears: Great white shark viewing.
It was a gorgeous drive along the coast to get to Gansbaii, the jump-off point for “Shark Alley.”
We arrived and boarded our boat along with a couple from Spain on their honeymoon. I can think of nothing more romantic than jumping in a cage so you can see a man-eater 12 inches from your face.
It was only about 10min from shore where we anchored. Yeah, they’re that close. The visibility in the water unfortunately wasn’t too good that day, so I actually had a better view from the top of the boat. (It wasn’t cuz I was scared or anything…) Ha! Actually, one of my first questions for the guide was if the great whites meander over to the other (colder water) side of the Cape — where our race was.
“Absolutely. They go everywhere. If you’re in the water, just know that there are sharks around you.” He did make it clear that we don’t need to fear them, though. WHATEVER. I just hope for poor water visibility in every ocean swim I ever do, because if I ever SEE one of these creatures, I’ll absolutely lose it.
OK so since I essentially already SWAM with great whites according to our guide, then getting into a cage is really just child’s play. What do I have to prove?! I stayed warm and dry on the top deck and just kept snapping away. And taunting the poor suckers in the “bait cage.”
Enjoy the photos/videos, and I apologize up front for ruining your open water swims. If it makes you feel better, just know that everyone in the cage could not see the sharks until they were within about 1 foot of them. Seriously. So if the water is murky, we’ll never know anyway! (OK, that didn’t really make me feel better either!!)
I’m pretty sure I didn’t “conquer” my fears, but I was surprised how much I loved seeing them. From the boat of course!
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That’s awesome, Amy! I agree with you on your last comment. I’ve been learning all I can about sharks and the ocean in an effort to face my fears. Since I live in the Midwest, it’s not as easy as jumping in the ocean. I don’t feel that learning more has alleviated my fears, but it certainly has given more respect and awe for these mighty creatures. I think now though, I’m not quite as fearful of the great white since they “typically” do an exploratory bite and move on. I’m more scared of running into a tiger shark or a bull shark since they aren’t quite so discrimatory in their diet as the GW.
Way to face your fears!
i stepped on a turtle in murky lake water once as a kid and have been traumatized ever since. here’s to duathlon!!