What would be your “go to” destination to film sharks and rays? We needed some more footage for our 360 film and VR headset experience and wanted to maximize our opportunities within a single trip. We decided on South Africa. Home to a host of sharks and rays; some small kelp dwelling species, some that call the reef their home and iconic oceanic ones too. South Africa also had the additional bonus of being a Living with Sharks hotspot where human-shark interactions are a topic of intense debate. So, it felt like a place where we could pack in as much as possible.

Now to the difficult conversation on how to get there, go diving, and get all the information and footage we needed without spending precious funds that our supporters expect to be spent on conservation activities! Diverse Travel, once again, rode to the rescue. They suggested that they would assist with the travel logistics and organise the trip. And that if we took a small group of experienced divers with us, that they could ensure the Shark Trust costs would be 100% covered.

An itinerary was created to try to get us up close to as many sharks and rays as possible. And, similar to Oasis and Harry Styles, the trip sold out on the morning it was released to our members. It was happening…

Our first diving location was Simon’s Town (near Cape Town). We gathered the group, who hailed from England, Scotland, the Netherlands and France, along the way. Everyone with fingers crossed that the weather would hold. Soon we were getting our equipment ready and planning our dives with Pisces Divers. The windy conditions meant that day 1 would be diving the kelp forest, day 2 would be out in the open ocean and day 3 looked like it would be cancelled altogether!

 

The kelp forest saw us encounter some of the beautiful, sometimes overlooked, smaller species of shark: the Puffadder and Brown Shy Sharks, the Pyjama Shark and the exquisite Leopard Catshark. Along with a huge Short-tail Stingray. But conditions were not ideal. We surged back and forth with the power of the waves through the huge kelp fronds. Sand stirred up from the seabed reducing visibility. But we still filmed and marvelled at the beauty of this unique ecosystem and its inhabitants.

 

We had just one shot at capturing open ocean species off the Cape. With the wind picking up we rounded Cape Point, then past the Cape of Good Hope, and turned out to sea. Waves splashing over the bow and soaking all of us. Nothing between us and Antarctica. We waited. Scenting the water with sardine scraps in the hope of catching a glimpse of a Shortfin Mako. And a glimpse was what we got. A sleek mako appeared by the boat. We deployed the 360 underwater camera just in time to see it glide past, turn, and then make its way back out into the blue. It was a lot of work for 5 seconds of footage!

 

Our location in Cape Town gave one of the team the opportunity to visit the Shark Education Centre in Fish Hoek. The centre, operated by long-time partners Save Our Seas Foundation, does an incredible job engaging local communities with sharks and the sea. Teaching snorkelling and producing immersive video content, as well as engaging kids on-site in a converted GP surgery. In nearby, Muizenberg, Shark Spotters has been operating a shark detection and warning system for False Bay for over 20 years. A chat over a coffee with the CEO gave a great oversight into the successes and challenges in managing busy beaches in the presence of the local shark population.

With the weather against us, a day of “rest” was in order. Some chose to climb Table Mountain, whilst others look a more leisurely route to the top via cable car. We met at the summit and marvelled at the incredible landscape before us. Followed by a well-earned lunch in the vibrant Bo-Kaap region of Cape Town. Before it was time to pack up and head north to our second location: Aliwal Shoal.

The wild conditions followed us up the coast. Waves and currents making the diving challenging even for experienced divers. Just getting out to sea on the inflatable boats was an adventure! Our hosts for this section of the trip, Agulhas House & Diving, ensured we were well briefed before heading out to see what we could find. The plan each day was to try a reef dive and then a baited open water dive. We were incredibly lucky to encounter Sand Tiger Sharks (or raggies as they are known locally) at a famous dive site called Cathedral. Usually, January would be too warm for them to still be there in any numbers, but as we dropped into the natural rock bowl, we saw up to 15 slowly circling around us. A highlight of the trip.

 

The open water dives saw us drifting along with the current. Our boat carefully following a buoy that showed where we were in this vast expanse of water. One such dive saw us drift 8km in the hour we were under! As we drifted along, we saw a Tiger Shark, a Scalloped Hammerhead and then plenty of Bull and Oceanic Blacktip Sharks joined us for the duration.

While in the Durban area we also had the opportunity to meet and speak with representatives of the KwaZula-Natal Sharks Board. Operating shark nets and drum lines down the coast since the 1950’s, the Sharks Board is at the centre of conversations – and often controversy – about beach protections. Nets here are used to capture sharks and reduce populations to protect beach users. While they have worked over successive years to reduce the extent of nets and the time that they are deployed, they remain central to the strategy for protecting people, and tourism revenue for the region. It was a fascinating and enlightening set of conversations which really allowed us a deep dive into the various considerations involved in bite mitigation strategies.

In total the group saw 12 different species of shark and ray in 5 days of diving. It was a real pleasure to share this experience with a handful of Shark Trust members. Their enthusiasm for sharks, rays and the work we do is inspirational to us. Hopefully this is something we can do again in the future.

The Shark Trust would like to thank Diverse Travel for all their help in organising and supporting this expedition. Also, Mares for their diving equipment support. Now it is time to get to work on the VR Shark Experience, film and Living with Sharks podcast.