"The Master of Happiness" has been specially
designed for shark cage diving with the wheelhouse in the centre providing
shelter for tourists when traveling to and from Dyer island. It provides
ample walking space on the sides for viewers to see the shark aproach.
the boat which will be anchored abeam in the channel so the shark will
aproach from the side, allowing everyone to be able to see and photograph
the shark without obstruction. White sharks will not be injured since they
will be away from the outboard motors. Only small craft can be used because
of the depth of Kleinbaai harbor and the channel at Dyer island
Cage Diving With The Great White
What the critics say:
Sharks are being conditioned by cage diving operations
to attack divers and surfers. The chum slick is taken by the current to
the beaches and sharks are then attracted there.
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The true facts:
Chumming to attract sharks. For years line
fishermen have been chumming the water with their old bait, to attract
fish to their boats. This method not only attracted fish but also sharks
and it is a known fact that White sharks come to, and circle, fishing boats.
Chumming is the use of minced fish mixed with sea water which is then run
out into the ocean in a constant stream. The mixture is taken away by the
current and a White shark will follow the chum line, upcurrent,
to the source. The shark would be attracted from an area of lower smell
intensity to an area of higher smell intensity(the source) and activity
around the boat will increase after some period of chumming. Dyer island
is a natural chumming machine, due to the 40 000 Cape Fur seals on Geyser
island adjacent to it, and the chum slick running out into the ocean and
can be picked up by White sharks several tens of kilometers away. This
is probably why it is the most important area in the world to find the
White shark.
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Does chumming and baiting
condition a White shark?
Answer : White sharks are nomadic and
stay around Dyer island for a few days at a time and during that time we
may see the same shark for about 3 to 4 times, staying around the boat
for anything from less than a minute to several minutes. In order to condition
a White shark two situations has to be in place. Firstly the shark has
to be at the boat every day and secondly the shark has to be rewarded by
feeding. We do not feed the White shark but use a bait bag
to attract it to the boat, pulling the bait bag away, when the shark wants
to take it. We do not want to injure the White shark, by allowing it to
take the bait bag. The White shark is not rewarded so it will not
have any incentive to return to a boat other than out of curiosity or being
attracted by the chum line. Over a period of 3 years we have seen the same
shark return to Dyer on 7 occasions and it would be rare for a White shark
to stay in the same area. It is our belief that it takes a lot of hours
and days to condition a wild animal which naturally has fear. The White
shark has fear and at times the sharks around the boat would not return
once the cage has been dropped. On other occasions the shark would still
be around with the cage in the water but would disappear once the divers
enter the cage. Sighting from the cage is only 30% while sharks will be
seen from the boat.
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Inquisitive Animals
White sharks are extremely inquisitive and will come
up to inspect anything that floats on the surface of the ocean, whether
it is a piece of plastic, a piece of seeweed, a block of wood or even a
bottle. They will circle the floating object and inpect by biting it. They
would even come up to boats, that do not fish or chum, for an inspection.
During the 33 years that I have dived with White sharks I have found them
to be very interested in me and also came up for an inspection. It would
approach and then swim around me. When I swam towards the animal it would
turn away and swim off.
For thousands of years White sharks have observed
seals and dolphins surfing in on the crest of waves rolling up onto the
beach, only to swim back and catch the next wave. We have watched this
at Dyer island and have observed how the shark take their prey when they
swim back to catch the next wave. It must be instinct with the White shark
to regard something as food when it surfs the wave. Is it any wonder that
surfers are being mistaken for food when they surf the waves and paddle
back to catch the next wave.
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Cage diving
Now that we know more about the animal we are to
meet in the ocean from the protection of a cage we are ready to allow you
the tourist to enter the cage.
The boat will anchor in a suitable spot in order
to attract the White shark to the boat. Since the boat will be anchored
abeam, the shark will approach the boat from the side, halfway between
the bow and the stern, and it is possible for everyone to get a good view
as the shark swim up to the bait. The bait is pulled away from the shark
while it follows and comes close to the boat.
By pulling the bait away and not allowing the shark
to take it the shark becomes more interested and stays around for a longer
time.
The cage is then prepared while the first two divers
kit up and are briefed by the divemaster. The divers enter the cage and
the cage which floats on the surface and is attached to the boat with two
safety ropes will be pushed away from the boat.
The shark now being attracted to the bait will swim
passed the cage following the bait while the divers in the cage can get
a good view of the shark. At no stage do we allow the shark to take the
bait with divers in the cage since this could create a situation where
the shark can accidentally bump the cage and injure itself.