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Published: February 28th 2008
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Up at 5 and off to see the sharks! The anticipation was great - we all knew Adam was in for the shark cage, Dan was at about 80% sure, Dave, Amanda and Cathy holding at 50/50, and Pat a solid 0% chance. But we were in for the boat ride out at sea on what was supposed to be a sunny day. We all tried to not have spirits spiraling as we drove out in a driving rain. But we arrived and the sun seemed to come out, so we were all psyched. Our main guide, Rob, was a trip - throwing out jokes left and right as he explained the safety aspects, etc. with a shark video going in the background. I had a moment where I thought no way, but then, I said, what the hell. I decided I was in! So onto the boat - Dan, Cathy, Pat and I were inside the cabin for the ride out, and it was like a crazy roller coaster. I caught air many times as my rear popped off the seat and my stomach lurched into my chest. Cathy and I are putting sunscreen on all the while, and Rob
says “Wow, you guys are optimistic ” and our reply “The sun is irrelevant - do you see how fair we are?” It was fun (but that’s because sea-sickness doesn’t seem to get me…I can’t say the same for Dave and Cathy unfortunately).
So we get out to our spot, throw the chum in the water, and wait. Rob says for everyone to think positive thoughts - they haven’t had a day without spotting sharks since January 6. Rob kept saying “Here, sharky, sharky. Come so we can admire your beauty!”So some of us are sitting there thinking “come on, sharks!” while the others are trying not to puke (although unfortunately we had several fellow passengers who weren’t successful on that). In the end, Dan, Adam and I (this is Amanda!) suited up in full wet suits to get in the water with the sharks. And we waited. And we waited. And the crew was calling other crews on cell phones (“Nothing? No, nothing…”). So we moved spots to try elsewhere. On the way, we passed by Dyer Island which houses about a billion seals. There are two islands and in between is “Shark Alley” and we drove
right through (supposedly those sharks like the seals there, hence they swim through. I have to say, I’m not sure I believe them…but anyway, the crew told us that seeing the seals was our “consolation prize” in case we didn’t see sharks at the next stop. Oh, I wish they hadn’t said that. And I thought it must be a bad omen when we killed a seal in our boat’s motor. No lie! The crew guy said “it was already dead” but I feel certain that was just to make us all feel better. What a bummer. And onto the 2nd spot, and, in case you didn’t guess it by now, NO SHARKS! The entire crew was stunned - said we were very unlucky. We’re hoping to get all our bad luck out of the way now so that when we head on safari, we’ll see all sorts of animals! And since I didn’t get seasick at all, it was a nice boat ride with sunshine and ocean…
Next stop: the most southern tip of Africa - Cape Agulhas. Where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It is a stunning spot. Gorgeous sand, rocks, green waters, a prism lighthouse. All
the ‘kids’ stepped in both oceans for a refreshing mini-dip. We had fun playing around. Then off to a stretch of beaches on the Indian Ocean side that is the longest stretch of beach in the southern hemisphere. Again - gorgeous! We got enough out of car time for the 2+ hour trek back to Rooi Els for a dinner at the local pub, Drummond Arms. We all immediately showered and crashed after a very long day.
Check out
Cathy and Dan's blog too - quite amusing recap!!
Dave thoughts:
So, all along I’ve said that there was no way I was getting a shark cage. You know, something goes wrong and you have two choices, leave cage and get eaten by a shark or option 2, stay in cage and sink to the bottom of the Atlantic. Ouch! I’m a scuba diver and there’s still something about the great white shark that scares the hell out of me. Too much Jaws 1, 2, and 3 I guess. But we get to the expedition place and we are watching the video they film of every trip and I start to change my mind…….by the time we hit the boat I’ve grown huge (cojones)
the seals
with a piece from a long-ago shipwreck and a say I’m IN! The boat launches, and we are off shark hunting. About ½ way to the first stop I start to turn green…..yes sea sickness has struck but I’m fighting it off watching the horizon. The boat stops and I hear about 3-4 other passengers over the side of the boat, like that helps. Then Cathy crawled up next to me and she is whiter than a ghost (and she is pretty white to start with) armed with a plastic bag. We are on the top deck and with the sea raging (10 to 15 feet) nothing is helping. I somehow manage to keep my breakfast down but it was dicey. On the way to the second stop I started feeling better and was able to talk and joke a little bit. Since we were have trouble attracting a shark I had a good pass on getting a wet suit. The crew starts letting people get into cage to have some type of experience but I was in the clear. Thank God! I would have pissed myself if there had been a shark.
On for a long car trip to the southernmost tip of Africa. Since we
the town of Gansbaai
the town we launched from for the 'shark' adventure had been farther south in Argentina it was not that big of a deal for Amanda and I but I’ve never been in the Indian Ocean so what the hell. I drove the 2 hour drive thru some of the prettiest farm country. Think of Wisconsin but with 3X the size of hills. Adam was the co-pilot and everybody else slept. We listened to the South African version of NPR for a little while but when report went to some guy in Norway doing a ice cave to store seeds of plants from around the world so if there was WW3 he could replant the world. So, the only station we could was the current hits pop station. If you know me, I’m really not in for Shakira. Once we arrive at the tip of Africa, it’s a beautiful coastal town. We take lots of pictures and I make sure Amanda gets a couple of me in my Atlanta Thrashers shirt so my friend Phillip can show his cousin (a player on the team) I’m representing…..even in Africa! Another rock star day!
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May Beth
non-member comment
Wow
Amanda - so cool. I love the shark day photos. Remember when we worked together and I stole stuff from the office and wore a backless blouse. Those were the days. Gotta run, Lonnie and I are having our 8 year anniversary dinner date tonight. He's so hot. Love, Mary Beth.