Last Saturday a small group of us went to the great white shark capital of the world, Gansbaai. I must have woken up with a death wish that morning because I thought that if the sharks wouldn’t kill me, surely my mother or grandmother would when they found out what I did. Once we were picked up at 5:00 AM, we were driven two hours away and fed breakfast. Our group (a total of 27 people) was then given a pep talk and then we signed our lives away, literally. The shark dive company took us near Seal Island, which is a five star resort for great whites. I was the first one in line to get a wet suit, but wasn’t the first in the water due to my clumsiness and inability to put on my suit.
Because it’s off season, we were concerned we would not see any sharks, but it only took about five minutes to attract the first one. Once in the water it was hard to stay under; I kept floating to the top and getting slammed into my friends. I hit my head on the bars several times and somehow switched places with Phil under water. The one thing the skipper stressed the most was to NOT PUT ARMS/LEGS on the outside of the cage. This was extremely difficult to do and I didn’t even realize I was out of the cage until I would go underwater to catch a glimpse of the killing machines.
My friends Louise, Colin, Phil and I were in the third group to go, which was lucky because we attracted the largest shark of the day, an estimated twenty feet long. My friend Pat (who was on the boat) told me he saw the shark and thought, “Oh ****, that’s Jaws.”
I think it was a combination of the scrambled eggs for breakfast, the choppy waves, and the chum /fish guts that made everyone so sick. Out of the 27 people, I am willing to bet at least 15 threw up. There was a cornucopia of puke all over the boat, and it got funnier and funnier every time another one of our friends projectile vomited. Since I have never been sea sick, I thought I was fine, but on the boat ride back I felt a little action going on in my stomach. I refused to throw up on a speeding boat, but once my friends realized I was feeling it, they surrounded me, capitalizing on my weakness. Their laughter and chanting made me think, “Well, now I have to deliver…” It’s just unfortunate that my vomit leaked down the side of the boat into the window to the first floor (whoops).
We were given lunch and a ride back home. Despite puking, diving with sharks was one of the coolest things I have ever done, and I have planned more adventurous activities for the next few months, all of which I will write about once I make it back. I need to let my unsuspecting mother sleep at night, you know…
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