On January 8, some students and I went cage diving with Great White Sharks! This was something I had wanted to do since I arrived here and I finally accomplished my goal. What an experience! It was a beautiful sunny day, which made the experience that much more exciting. Before we departed on the boat our guide warned us that this isn't shark season so the likelihood of seeing a shark was slim. We all were a little disappointed to hear this, but we hoped for the best. Fortunately, we were able to the great white sharks! The excursion was set-up with about 40 people on the boat. Once we got to the prime shark area the crew lowered a large metal cage into the water that hung off the side of the boat. About 7 people could fit in this cage at once. Because it wasn't shark season, we did have to wait awhile for them to come around, but once they did the trip got so intense and exciting! Getting into the cage as sharks were swimming within arms length was quite a rush. It was so cool to see these animals up close! For anyone whoever has the opportunity to go, I would definitely recommend it! There's no experience like it! I have never been so excited and nervous at the same time before.
One thing I learned is that sharks definitely aren't the animals that movies make them out to be. They really had no interest for the humans that were beside them in the cage, all they wanted was the Tuna bait that the crew was tossing out. I only spent about 20 minutes in the cage, as there were many other people who needed to get in the cage. I certainly didn't mind relaxing on the boat and catching some rays on the Atlantic Ocean. All of us who went certainly got those African tan lines we were hoping for!
Today was another awesome day. We visited the Cape of Good Hope. I must say that standing at the top of a mountain looking out at the Atlantic Ocean to my right and the Indian Ocean to my left was a breath taking experience that words cannot describe. I was completely overwhelmed by the pure beauty that was surrounding me. This place should definitely be on everyone's list to visit! (Also, this was the 2nd mountain I have climbed since I've been here...so yes, I've definitely gotten in some good workouts while I've been here)
We also visited the penguins today! They were so small and cute and just living there life. There were hundreds of penguins on the beach and on huge boulders. I was able to take so many pictures of the cute little tuxedo guys!
My only complaint of the day was that I still haven't seen a Baboon! There were signs EVERYWHERE saying "Don't feed the Baboons" and "Be aware of Baboons" and so on... and unfortunately we did not see any... I'm still waiting! ☺
