Whale watching in Hermanus

On our last day in Hermanus we decided to go on a whale watching tour. The boat was much larger and more comfortable than the shark diving boat. It didn't take long to see whales either. One was smacking his tail on the water for over 5 minutes, apparently in an attempt to attract a friend, who appeared in short order. It was an amazing couple of hours.

Shark diving in Gansbai, South Africa

Our friend Iris hooked us up with Shark Lady in Gansbai, which is about 50 kilometers outside of Hermanus. This was our second attempt at great white shark diving as the first trip was cancelled due to bad weather. We got up early and arrived at the office early in the morning for breakfast and a quick orientation. I wasn't sure what to expect as I've heard nothing is guaranteed.

We headed out to sea and made it to Dyer Island in about 15 minutes. Dyer Island is home to 50,000+ cape seals, which happens to be the preferred treat for the great white sharks. We dropped anchor and saw a shark immediately, although it took about 20 minutes for them to come up to the cage. Once they did, look out! Talk about up close and personal. They came to within a foot of my face at one point! One of the most terrifying and exciting moments ever. These are pics that we took along with some that the Resident Biologist took:

These were the sharks who visited us. On my last dive the shark with the locator on the dorsal fin actually nailed the tuna head and was inches away from my face with a mouthful of tune head. He swiped his tail against the cage and the entire structure shook. I had to look down to make sure my hands and feet were inside!
Very exciting.