Cage Diving with Great White Sharks (Port Lincoln, South Australia)

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!

Dobrodošli do Hrvatski! - Welcome to Dubrovnik, Croatia

Looking back at my trip to Croatia this summer will forever bring a smile to my face.  It was everything I expected it to be and more.  With that I will delve in my two weeks of adventure on the southern coast starting with my first two days in Dubrovnik.  Check back to see posts from the remainder of my trip next week.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I have to give some mad props to Aer Lingus for a very easy flight to Croatia by way of a Dublin layover.  The plane was roomy, clean and the food was surprisingly tasty.  Upon arrival at the Dubrovnik airport we decided to take the shuttle into the Old City for about 35 kuna which drops you off at the main gate.  From there it was a somewhat grueling, uphill walk to our hostel, Fresh Sheets, which is the only hostel within the Old City.  The directions to get there were pretty funny including referencing this sign -

 

Even just this walk through the town shows how small and adorable it is.

 

Turns out that by booking the "two person private room" you actually get put in a nice room in the apartment near the hostel.  It had AC, a comfortable bed and a shared bathroom that was really nice.  It was REALLY hot too so the AC was a welcome relief.  The hostel itself is nice but I highly recommend doing the apartment instead for the AC alone.

 

We only had two nights in Dubrovnik and had arrived early in the city so we figured we should do a little sightseeing (couldn't hurt with getting the jetlag under control too).  So we decided to walk the city walls which surround the Old City.  The walls run uninterrupted all the way around the city (over 6,000 ft) and are really high along the ocean side (over 80 ft).  Most of what you see today was built between the 12-17th centuries and is actually once of the largest and most complete fortifications in Europe today which is REALLY cool.

The ticket to get up there is 70 kuna per person but this also gets you into the fortress and a couple other attractions so make sure to ask.  It's only good for a 24 hour period so buy the ticket when you know you'll have 24 hours to spend at all this places.  We didn't so I felt like our ticket was a little wasted!  The walk along the walls also introduced us to Cafe Buza where you can cliff jump from just below the restaurant.

We decided to make a stop for some beer with limon to get out of the heat.  Once we'd quenched our thirst we headed to Taj Mahal for dinner (recommended by the hostel as a cheap, tasty place to eat).  The restaurant may have an Indian name but the food was Bosnian... and delicious.  I ordered the rump steak because it had a ridiculous name.  It was also ridiculously good.  I couldn't begin to describe it other than if a steak and a hamburger had a baby so I just took a picture instead.

We also had peppers filled with goat cheese which were also really good.

 

This is also where we learned our first Croatian word - "Hvala" which means "Thank you."

Post dinner drinks occurred at Gaffe Irish bar and some other bars up the street.  All of them were pretty terrible so we left and went to bed.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

We were up nice and early to catch our tour  bus for our trip to the Elaphiti Islands which include Sipan, Kolocep, and Lopud.  I think we spent about 250 kuna each on the tour which lasted all day and gave you time to see Sipan and Kolocep and then really spend some time on the sandy beaches of Lopud.  This was the only sandy beach I saw my entire time in Croatia.  They don't mention that it's a COASTLINE not so much a BEACHLINE.  The beaches are really just rocks that border water.  Keep that in mind and bring some aqua shoes.

 

The boat itself was adorable and wooden and filled with an assortment of ages.  We immediately made table mates with two Kiwis from Wellington, New Zealand - Straw Hat and Pelty.  Pelty was so named because his friends had kindly shaved the back of his head into a mini mohawk with one long strip of hair in the middle that reminded me of an animal pelt.  Straw Hat's nickname seems more obvious.

Thanks to the abundance of free, unlimited wine the four of us eventually turned this lovely family boat ride into a booze cruise complete with boat diving from the top level into the refreshing salty sea.  Granted you should first determine where the entrance back on to the boat is before jumping.  We had a time of it trying to pull Lil Sass up the wrong side of the boat which resulted in her almost healed knee wound reopening and a plethora of massive bruises forming down one side of her torso.

 

They also serve you lunch as part of the cruise.  I highly recommend avoiding the fish option like the plague and sticking to the chicken.  Also if you make friends with Joe, the captain, he will sneak you extra cookies - "Fancy a biscuit?"  Turns out you should never steal a table from a table of Russians though.  I kept on eye on them for the rest of the cruise in case they got rowdy.

We returned from the cruise pleasantly jolly and dug into some pizza which looking back at the picture of it I instantly regret eating.  We then hit one of the other bars on the cliffs near Cafe Buza where they had live music (and unfortunately no bathroom).

  

Turns out Dubrovnik CAN be cool.  However, I'm still ready to head out on the rest of our adventure tomorrow.

Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Welcome to the original Anheuser-Busch Brewery. While in St. Louis, I was offered the opportunity to take the behind the scenes brewmaster tour of this 150-year-old National Historic Landmark. The tour takes about 2.5 hours and takes you through all the stages of the brewing process.


To start off, the main thing to know is that Anheuser-Busch still uses the exact same recipe and brewing process for Budweiser today as they did over 100 years ago. The reason they can talk so freely about both the recipe and the brewing process is because the only secret ingredient is the yeast. Anheuser-Busch still uses the same strain of yeast as they did 100 years ago to ensure that a Bud today tastes exactly like a Bud from 1880. This top secret strain is only accessible by four people in the company and was even frozen throughout Prohibition to ensure that it wasn't lost.

Here is a chart of the brewing process. I'll be using it to show you each step along the way.


Are you ready to start the tour? Make sure you have your hat and your safety goggles on!


MILLING (Step One)

This step is simply the milling of the rice that is used in the recipe. Back when Budweiser was first brewed rice was a main differentiator ingredient for Anheuser-Busch because it was expensive to get. Thus, by using rice in their recipe, A-B made Budweiser a more sought-after, high-end product.

MASHING (Step Two)

The milled rice is mixed with water in a cooker while the barley malt is mixed with water in the mash tank. Once the rice is boiled, it is combined with the barley in the mash tank and then, yes, MASHED. The mashing process breaks down the starches in the malt grain into sugars that can then be fermented. There are two types of sugars that result: the ones that are responsible for the calories and the ones responsible for the alcohol content. The rule of thumb is that the lower the calories the longer the mashing. At only 55 calories, Select 55 must be mashed for 8 hours!

STRAINING (Step Three)

Once the malt has been mashed for the specified amount of time, it is then strained. The result of the straining is a mixture called wort, a clear, sweet amber liquid that is then used in Step Four.

BREW KETTLE (Step Four)

The wort is transferred to giant brew kettles . Based on a specific schedule and amount, hops are then added to the wort while it boils. Hops are added to the sweet wort to create the spice of beer. It is also what is responsible for giving each beer its unique flavor, aroma and character. Originally, hops were added to the brew kettle in their true form but this was a costly endeavor. Now, they use hop pellets which can be easily added to the brew kettle using a garbage can. Once the mixture is ready, it is put through the wort receiver to cool it to the desired temperature.

PRIMARY FERMENTATION (Step Five)

Now, it is time to introduce the mystery ingredient, Yeast, which is added to the wort in the primary fermentation tanks. This is the part in the process where the wort is turned from a sugar mixture into alcohol. It is after this step that the mixture can officially be called beer. This usually takes about six days.

BEECHWOOD LAGERING (Step Six)

Most brewing processes end with Primary Fermentation once the beer is produced. However, Anheuser-Busch believes in quality which is why they have an extra step in their process.

Beechwood Lagering gets its name from the layer of beechwood chips that are placed at the bottom of holding tanks. Once this layer is in place, the beer is then poured into the tanks and a yeasted wort called Kraeusen is added. This process allows for the beer to completely ferment and can take a little more than a week for some beers to finish. The result is a naturally carbonated beer with a deeper flavor. Anheuser-Busch then recycles the chips as soil for playgrounds in St. Louis. Isn't that sweet?!

FINISHING (Step 7)

Now that the beer is close to perfection, it reaches the final step of the brewing process. Here it is filtered and chilled to prepare it for packaging. It is put in 32°F tanks for two days which allows the beer to settle into its final state. It is then filtered one last time before it is ready for the best part of the tour: Tasting. While tasting occurs at each step in the process, there is a final quality control checkpoint during the filtering stage. This is also when the official A-B Brewmasters taste the beer to ensure it meets the grade. Each of A-B's breweries ship tasting samples to St. Louis daily as this is the brewery where the Brewmasters gather. We got to taste Budweiser that was only 37 minutes old!

FILLING / PACKAGING (Step 8)

This last step is not really part of the brewing process but is a part of the overall business (obviously). This is also one of the cooler parts of the tour as you can see the process of how the beer is put into bottles, labeled, and packaged. Anything in bottles if pasteurized during this process so that it can be stored and shipped at room temperature. Kegs and draftbeer, on the otherhand, must be kept cold at all times as they are not pasteurized. The packaging lines fill over a million cans and bottle every day.

That ends the beer portion of the tour, but they don't stop there. There is one more stop: The Clydesdale Stables. This building is also a National Heritage Landmark and was the original stable used by the Buschs over a 100 years ago. Unfortunately, their house is no longer standing but was located nearby. The stables house all the horses, a couple Dalmatians, as well as some of the original wagons. It also houses Jake, the Guiness Book of World Records holder for biggest Clydesdale ever to be born!


The tour ends at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Museum, full of rich historical facts about Anheuser and the Busch legacy. They also have a gift shop with all sorts of merchandise. Unfortunately, they seemed to be out of the Growler.


While many beer companies provide tours of their facilities, the St. Louis Brewery is one of a kind. Each room is steeped in American history, and the presence of the Clydesdales and original architecture create a true link to this nation's past from the first Budweiser to Prohibition to the annual Super Bowl commercial. Anheuser-Busch really is an American legacy and I felt honored to be a part of it.