April
21 - 24, 2017
We
are soon approaching the best time of year to cage dive with Great White Sharks
in South Australia (late April - June). But before I share this particular travel adventure…I
need to give you a bit of context.
For
as long as I can remember, I’ve been terrified of the ocean. It’s
not just sharks and jellyfish, or a fear of drowning, that keeps me from going
more than thigh deep. It’s a “fight or flight” instinct that is immediately
triggered every time I step foot in the water. As humans, the ocean
is not our natural habitat. Even Olympics swimmers can’t compete
with the grace and ease of an ocean otter, its body slicing through the water
as it looks for dinner. In the ocean, our senses are immediately
deafened… our bodies crushed by waves, our sight refracted by glaring light,
our ears battered by pressure, and our taste buds, assaulted by
salt. But scariest of all is the 360 nature of this
world. There are no walls. Danger can approach for any direction -
up, down, side to side. I hate it.
For
those of you who have traveled or lived in Australia, you’d know that the ocean
courses through the blood of most every Australian. From birth,
their toes are constantly connected to the water. Surfing and
swimming are extensions of their bodies. Tell an Australian, you
hate the ocean, and you’ll get thrown in repeatedly until you change your
mind.
I realised if I was going to live in Australia, I had to confront the ocean. My training started each weekend forcing myself a little farther into the waves of Bondi Beach. On my trip to the Philippines, I forced myself to snorkel with whale sharks, shocking myself with my enjoyment! For those of you who read that post, you know that whale sharks were spotted the day I arrived and my travel partner forced me into the water with them. It was the first time I really started to realise a potential love for the ocean. Those magnificent beasts gently gliding through the shallow water… couldn’t give a crap that I was swimming alongside. Their ignorance of me, made me calm. I was so engrossed that I completely forgot about the vastness surrounding me. It was such an amazing experience that I knew I had to keep the momentum going… resulting in this blog entry.
Great.
White. Sharks. One of the most feared animals of the
ocean. Fuelled by movies like Jaws and Deep Blue Sea and unhealthy
obsession with Shark Week, these beasts inspired fear, as well as
a deep admiration and curiosity, even behind glass at the
aquarium. Generally when I decide to do something… I go all
in. So of course, as soon as I thought I was “cool” with the ocean,
cage diving with Great Whites seemed like a natural next step. So I
booked a non-refundable ticket on the Calypso Star,
a famous cage-diving boat out of Port Lincoln, South Australia.
To
get to Port Lincoln, I spent a few days driving and camping my way from
Adelaide past Mount Remarkable National Park to Port Lincoln. I had
sunrise coffees with campsite kangaroos and beachside lunch stops at Greenly
Beach and The Point. It’s a lovely drive, although you can fly to
Port Lincoln if you prefer.
For those of you interested in the road trip portion of the trip (Adelaide, Mount Remarkable National Park and Barossa Valley wine region, I’ve provided see my other blog post here.
The
day of the cage dive, I was up and at the boat by 6am. It’s a three
hour ride to the Neptune Islands, south of Port Lincoln, temporary home to
Great Whites. I watched the sunrise, while frosty salt water whipped
my face.
We were divided into groups of 8 and put into a dive order. We were outfitted in 3mm thick wetsuits because we’d be down with the sharks for about 20 mins and it is VERY cold. The tour provides a wet suit, masks, booties and sunscreen. You can buy sickness tablets for a couple dollars and rent a Go Pro for $50. All you need to bring is swimmers, a towel and dry change of clothes. They’ll also sell you the pics they take for $35 (I always buy these because hell when am I going to do this again!).
Calypso
Star is the best shark boat because they have a license to
“chum.” If you are unfamiliar with the term, “chum,” it's dead fish
guts and blood that they pour into the ocean to attract the
sharks. It wasn’t long before the fish bits attracted a 6 meter
shark. WOW. At first I looked over the edge of the boat
to catch a glimpse until I saw him clear the water a few yards out… no more
looking over the side of the boat!
How
does cage diving work? Essentially the cage hangs off the back of the boat and
you enter the cage from the top, climbing down a metal ladder, to the bottom of
the cage. You have a weight belt around your waist to help you stay
under the water to look at the shark and a dive respirator so you can
breathe. Between the intense rocking of the cage, the icy cold
water, and the unnatural breathing, you have barely enough concentration to
find the shark in the murky water and snap a pic.
I was in Group 2 which turned out to be the best group because the water was
clear because of the clouds in the sky (sunlight causes light to refract
against bubbles in the water making it hard to see). This guy was
HUGE and VERY curious. The best position in the cage is on either
end because there isn’t a vertical bar in the corner of the cage, so you get a
sweeping view of the shark without a stupid bar in your
video. However, it’s also the most disconcerting position due to the
LACK of a bar. I was so sure I’d panic. I’d never used a
respirator, I’d never been in water that rocky and cold, and I’d never been two
feet away from a 6m shark before with no glass to separate us.
He
was magnificent. With the slightest turn of his tail he’d speed past
us, one eye following our movements. He was far more interested in
us than the chum. Pass after pass he’d approach the cage and lazily
glide past, clearly the dominant species. There is something about
the lack of a glass wall that makes you really feel like you are out there with
him. It was probably the same “fight or flight” instinct that kept
me intensely drawn to the edge of the cage scanning the murky darkness for
another pass. I was a mouse caught in the stare of a
viper. It was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever done. I
probably would’ve died of exposure before willingly leaving the shark, if he
hadn’t eventually wandered on his way. After his departure, I
realised how bloody cold I was and shot back up the surface.
Adrenaline
pumped through my veins warmed my body much faster than the dry change of
clothes. If I’d had the chance to get back in I
would’ve. I was so excited and awed and bloody proud of
myself! I did it! And boy, would I do it
again. Since this trip a year ago, I’ve spent more and more time in
the ocean, continuing to probe my fears. It’s a gradual
process. If you have an intense fear of something, don’t let it get
the best of you! And if you have a fear of sharks; get in there with em!
