Sure Travel Journey Vol 5.1 Summer 2019 | Page 42

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Swimming with blue sharks off Cape Point and the majestic Richtersveld –
just two of SA’s equally incredible and diverse experiences on offer.
© TEAGAN CUNNIFFE/GETAWAY
7. DIVE IN WITH THE SHARKS
I am terrified of sharks. Their shape, their
teeth, their lithe grace in waters in which I
flounder. And yet here I was, about to jump
into the ocean 50 km off Cape Point.
We’d travelled by boat out to the depths
of the Atlantic Ocean, stopping briefly
to admire seals and birds with delightful
names like the Atlantic yellow-nosed
albatross and sooty shearwaters. It’s out
here, far into the deep, deep waters, that
blue sharks swim.
“They’re really quite beautiful,” said my
42 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
friend Darrel, attempting to bolster my
confidence levels. “They’re like puppies.
They have big eyes and they come up to
you, but they won’t do anything dangerous
– they’re just curious.”
I gathered my nerve, jumped into
the water and discovered he was
right. Surrounded by 18 of these long,
pearlescent creatures, the tight ball of
anxiety in my chest relaxed and I enjoyed
the water’s embrace, gazing down at
the sharks beneath me as they swam
languidly between divers and snorkellers.
A large mako shark also appeared, but by
then I was back on the boat animatedly
describing the shark that had swum
alongside me, so close I could make out
the detail in its eye.
To be so vulnerable, yet so enthralled
and humbled, made this animal encounter
one of a kind.
THE DETAILS: Not to be confused with
cage-diving. Swim with pelagic blue and
mako sharks through piscesdivers.co.za
for R2 750 per person.