Sharks
Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
"Welcome to the Cape of storms" we were told as we were greeted at Gansbaai by large
waves and high winds. We had come out here to get "up close and personal" with
Carcharodon carcharias - the great white shark. Our intention was to go
out to Dyer Island with Andre and JP of Marine Dynamics. In order to do this we'd need a break in
the weather. We heard that a group had been here for two weeks but the weather
had been too bad for them to go to sea. We had a two week slot. For the
frustrating few days that we were unable to go to sea we had activities
organised for us by our wonderful landladies, Ezette and Annelie of Anlo
Gasthaus, De Kelders.
When we finally got to sea it was an amazing experience. We
were on Black Cat skippered by Michael and Guido of Marine Dynamics. The first
thing we saw before the boat was put in the water was the engines - notably the
bite marks.
The next thing we saw was Michael's finger - the one that had been de-sheathed
by a shark.
Fortunately there had been a doctor on the boat that day. It was an enjoyable
ride to the chosen site (read: the boat was thrown up and down by the lumpy
sea).
It wasn't long after our arrival that we saw our first white shark. A small one, at maybe four metres long. Impressive, elegant, but powerful animals. We had our cameras ready - we wanted pictures. Although, you can't help but to pause to observe these fish, without the camera, to admire them. This was it - we were here! Face-to-face with Jaws! The Oceans' apex predators. Next, I'd be going on to describe how adrenalin is brown - but this isn't a bar-room tale. The reality is that we were in awe ... and starting to wonder what all the fuss was about. They didn't try to jump onto the boat or eat our diving gear. In fact, we were told that the shark is intimidated by the boat. They were cautious. Swimming around, checking us out. At first from afar, then from progressively closer.
The visibilty wasn't particularly good. Perhaps 3-4m (10-13ft). The sharks
tended to hang around at the edge of the visibility, making photography
difficult. We wanted to get closer - to the point of leaning out of the cage.
Don't worry, we got taught our lesson. Over the five days at sea we had seen
sharks hitting cages. On our last day I had my cage tail slapped. We
re-discovered our respect for C. carcharias ... and had a new-found
apprieciation for the cage. You only have to look at the many shark-attack
victim pictures on the Internet to see what they are capable of.
It is my opinion that these are not the mindless man-slaughterers portrayed in the movie Jaws, but most people have figured that out by now. They are, however, not cute and cuddly - they are top predators and their very survival depends on their leathal ability. The great white shark, and other sharks and fishes, have an important role to play in the balance of nature. They need to be understood and protected. The problem is that with more people (a) going into the water, and (b) feeling that sharks are the antithesis to Jaws, we are likely to see more shark accidents.
The white shark pictures here were taken between Gansbaai and Dyer Island, South
Africa; September 2001.
Some of them were taken with a Nikon F100 in a Subal housing, the others were
taken with a Bonica Sea King Snapper.
The great white shark is also called white shark, white pointer, man-eater or white-death; its taxonomic classification is Carcharodon carcharias. They may reach a length of 11m (36ft), but their maximum size is difficult to estimate. Many claims are estimates or speculations. The impressive feature is the beam of the shark - as it gets longer it also gets wider. No white sharks have been successfully kept in captivity. Their numbers and behaviour are difficult to study.
If you are interested in seeing great white sharks I highly recommend Gansbaai. There
are very good chances of seeing sharks if you can get out to sea. The
disadvantage is that the weather can limit the chances of getting to sea, and
the visibility is not always great.
Marine Dynamics are the guys
to use. It is these guys that the professionals use (e.g. National Geographic).
For accommodation you will be very well looked after at Anlo Gasthaus, and they
have great facilities.
Further reading:
Benchley P, Doubilet D, National Geographic, 2000, 197(4), 2-29, "Great White Sharks".
Klimley AP, Ainley DG, eds., "Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias", 1996, Academic Press Inc.
Townsend M, Shark Focus, 2001, 12, 12-13, "Great White Mischief".
Navy News, 2001, September, 33, "Face to Face with
Jaws".
Great White breaching
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Raggedtooth Shark
Eugomphodus taurus
Popular aquarium sharks, the raggedtooth shark is vicious-looking, although not
aggressive to humans.
Further reading:
Halls M, Thomas Cook website, "The Day I Swam With Sharks"
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White-tip Reef Shark
Triaenodon obesus
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Grey Reef Shark
Carcharinus amblyrhynchos
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Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
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