{{futureEnquiries.length}}
When my mother discovered my absurd phobia of sharks and ostriches, she thought it would be best for me to confront my fears face to face, literally. A month or so later, she had organised an outing to Gaansbaai, a charming seaside town found in the Overberg region, famous for shark cage diving and whale watching.
So, at 5am one bright and early Saturday morning we got up, quickly packed and took a slow scenic drive to Gaansbaai. The route there was absolutely breath-taking and we especially enjoyed watching the mesmerizing warm sunrise, something a late sleeper like myself doesn't usually get to enjoy.
At about 9am we arrived in Gaansbaai and, to our surprise, quite easily found our way to where we needed to be - Great White Shark Tours cc. On arrival, we were warmly greeted by a friendly hostess and welcomed with a healthy, light breakfast which was included in our shark cage diving package. We were also given a motion sickness tablet - just in case the motion of the ocean got a bit much for us.
After breakfast, a short introduction and a safety briefing, our group of about 10 people made our way to the modern and hi-tech Boat named Apex Predator'. The weather conditions were not perfect as the wind had picked up a bit and the ocean was not as calm as I had hoped for. The boat almost felt as if it was jumping off the waves and every few seconds I felt a spray of water on my face. We came to a stop in what looked like the middle of nowhere and after a few minutes of chumming, the Apex Predator was surrounded. (Great White Shark Tours cc has a secret chum mixture which does not feed the sharks or use any part of a shark product.)
Ready for action in our weighed down wetsuits, my mom (the brash and bold woman that she is) volunteered for us to be the first ones to plunge into the cage. My heart sank as this seemed like a complete nightmare. What am I doing here? And, how did I let her talk me into this?
I gathered up the courage from somewhere deep, deep down inside and hopped into the cage, took in a few deep breaths and hesitantly went under. All I could hear was the thumping of my heart as I watched this beast slowly gliding towards me. I was immediately and absolutely blown away by the captivating beauty of these magnificent creatures. Yes, they scare the hell out of me, but they are incredibly fascinating. One feisty shark in particular caught my attention - it swam right in front of our faces and swished its tail against the cage a few times, which made my heart stop for a few seconds. It was truly amazing to see how much power there was purely in its tail. We were visited by quite a few sharks, who were medium-sized but seemed monstrously enormous when looking at them from the inside of the cage.
The water was actually freezing, something I hadn't even noticed until it was time for us to get out. After climbing out we were given some light snacks and something to quench our thirst, which my mother was just not able to stomach (due to the rocking of the boat). She spent the next 10 minutes curled over the side of the boat - not a pretty sight - but it did give us all a giggle.
After everyone on board had had a turn, we were all offered another go and remarkably I was one of the first daring people back in the cage - I just couldn't get enough of these mesmerising creatures.
When we reached the shore once again at about 3pm, we were served a warm lunch along with some much needed hot chocolate and shown the very entertaining video recording of our adventure at sea. (They even managed to get a video clip of my poor mom hanging overboard - so there was no way I was going to pass up on buying a copy.) I was pretty proud and had to have evidence to prove my bravery. I truly enjoyed every minute of this remarkable and memorable experience.
The owner and founder of this established shark cage diving company - Brian McFarlane - is a professional diver and skipper. He and his team really made an extra effort to ensure that everyone on the trip had a fantastic experience.
Feeling quite tired from the day's excitement, we decided to stay overnight at a nearby resort, a family-friendly place we had vacationed at many times before when I was a young child. We stayed in one of the self-catering beach houses and had a hearty dinner at the pub and restaurant located within the resort and within walking distance of our beach house.
The next morning we checked out early and were back on the road to Cape Town. This time we took the coastal route home which was beautiful and seemed like a great way to end off our trip. I couldn't wait to get home to show and tell everyone about this amazing experience and what I had accomplished.
A few months later, my mom organised a trip to The Cape Town Ostrich Farm, where we were given a personal guided tour of the farm and I even sat on the back of an Ostrich - an experience that oddly scared me even more than coming face to face with a Great White.
So, admittedly I am still afraid of sharks and ostriches, and although I haven't completely overcome my fears, I can say I had a fabulous time trying and I wouldn't hesitate in doing it again. I would especially recommend shark cage diving- it's an unforgettable and exciting adventure!
