Dog Day!

A few of the dogs I walked today 

I made a rather interesting find on a beach clean this afternoon

            Today was a dreary-weather day here in Gansbaai, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time! This morning, since it was a no sea day, Lucy and I slept in a little- I got up at about eight. As we were eating breakfast, Tom popped his head in and said that he’d be leading a lecture up at the other house for us at about 9:30. Even though there’s no one currently living up at the top vol house, there’s a lecture room in there with a screen for his presentations, so we always do lectures in there. Lucy and I headed out into the cloudy day to head up to the other house and, after quickly popping into the garage to say hi to Benz and Mandla, we went to listen to Tom’s presentation.

            He has several different lecture topics and presentations that he gives to the volunteers. So far I’d already heard the biology and behavior ones, so today’s topic was on shark evolution. Evolution of sharks is a tricky topic to research. Even though they’re just about the oldest animals on the planet, their skeletons are composed completely of cartilage, so there are very few fossils of them found. The main part of a shark’s body that does fossilize is their teeth, and you can’t exactly find out everything about prehistoric sharks just by looking at their teeth. That being said, a lot of information about the evolution of sharks is speculative. It’s still really interesting to look at evolution just among modern day sharks. It’s pretty cool to be able point out differences in the oldest, least evolved shark species, like cowsharks and frilled sharks, versus the most evolved species, like hammerheads. After his lecture, we watched a documentary that focused on researchers trying to find deep-sea sharks off the coast of Japan, like goblin sharks (one of my favorites!) and megamouth sharks.

            By the time both of those were over it was nearly noon, so Tom said we could head back home for lunch, then go out for the afternoon. We’d decided to spend the afternoon visiting Barc, a local animal rescue center here in Gansbaai, to help walk and play with the dogs. It was a pretty small facility- I think they had about twelve dogs, and a few cats. Some of the recent arrivals were pretty skinny, but it looked like the center was taking good care of them- they were all clean and had food and water in their kennels. In the couple of hours that we were there, Lucy and I walked every single dog! We’d take them out, one or two at a time, and take them on about a 20-30 minute walk through the local neighborhood. After we’d walked all of them, we had a little bit of time left over until Grant picked us up, so I just hung out in the kennels playing with them for a little longer. It was a little sad to see them in their kennels, especially the really skinny ones, but at the same time it was so nice to take each of them for a walk around- they all were clearly very happy to get out of their kennels!

            It was a little before three when we got back home from Barc. Since it looked like it was going to rain soon, I grabbed a trash bag and went out to do a beach clean almost as soon as we came home. I was only able to stay out for about half an hour before it started raining, but still collected a good amount of junk. It amazes me that I go out and do a beach clean almost every day, yet every day there’s new stuff that washes up to be collected. On one of my first days here, Tom told me that every minute, enough plastic to fill a garbage truck gets dumped into the ocean- and that’s just talking plastic. Sad indeed, but it’s still satisfying when I finish a beach clean and see the place looking a little cleaner than before I started.

            This evening has been pretty chill and quiet here at the vol house. Tomorrow we’re back out on the boat- there’s a seven o’clock launch, and so far it looks like there’s space for both of us. Tomorrow is also the day that we’re getting a bunch of new vols- I think either seven or eight. I don’t yet know anything about them, but it’ll be interesting to have that many vols around again! This post’s food for thought is a quote I thought of when I was playing with the dogs at Barc this afternoon: “Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”- George Eliot 

Dream Come True...

            It’s been a pretty quiet couple of days here at White Shark Projects. Yesterday we had two trips out to sea, both of which Lucy, Dax and I were all able to go on. It was nice to spend a good chunk of time out at sea, since it was Dax’s last day with the project. Both trips saw a good amount of shark action, even though the water visibility wasn’t the best. When the second trip returned to the harbor a little before four, we hopped off the boat, began unpacking and cleaning it, then we all gave Dax a hug as he put his bags in the bus and headed back to Cape Town. It feels weird having only two volunteers here; everything just seems so much quieter without Dax and Mike around. After we were done washing the wetsuits, Lucy and I came home, relaxed for a while, and made dinner for just the two of us.

            This morning we had a 7:30 start in the garage, which felt like sleeping in. There was only one trip out to sea today, and it was full, so after helping pack everything up, Lucy and I returned home. I decided to go out and do a beach clean not long after the boat went out. Most of the time I do them in the afternoon, but this time I wanted to do it during low tide, since I could get to areas that I can’t during high tide. While I was out doing that, I was hit with one of those moments that I love so much. I paused at the edge of the beautiful ocean, looked out at the waves crashing around me, and thought, “Wow, I’m in Africa.” For just about as long as I can remember, from the time I was a little kid, Africa has been a dream of mine. You could’ve asked me when I was five years old what I wanted to do when I grew up, and one of the first things I would’ve said was, “I want to go work with animals in Africa.” I don’t know exactly why I’ve always been this way- I’m sure my family constantly wonders how the hell they wound up with this wild, adventurous, animal-loving girl, since none of them are really like that. I think Africa really just seemed more like a dream than reality for most of my life, until I first set foot here back in 2015. Until then, Africa was a place I read about, heard about, and dreamed about, the way kids hear, read, and dream about a fairytale. The difference was my fairytale, my Neverland was a place I would eventually not just think about, but actually see with my own eyes and touch with my own hands. Looking at it that way, I guess I’ve made the five year old me proud. I’ve made my dream a reality- I’m here in Africa working with wildlife. I didn’t know when I was little that sharks would be my focus, or that South Africa specifically was where I’d go, or that I’d love Africa not just for the animals, but for the people as well, but hey, life has to come with a few surprises now and then, and those surprises have definitely been good ones.

            This afternoon was spent cleaning up the boat after they returned to the harbor, washing wetsuits at the garage, and going on our twice-weekly trip to the grocery store. It feels so weird with only myself and one other volunteer! We often ride in the bed of the truck to the store, and it felt like there was so much more space with just Lucy and me in there.

            Tomorrow is a no sea day; the weather doesn’t look great, and it’s kicking up pretty strong swells. Tom was off today, but he stopped in a little while ago (he lives right next to us, so we almost always see him on his days off anyway). He said that since it’s a no sea day, he’ll do one of his shark lectures for us tomorrow morning, then we’ll have some kind of outing- not exactly sure what yet. Most people wouldn’t think that “lectures” would be a good thing, but Tom’s are really interesting- that guy knows so much about sharks! The next day, the project is getting some new volunteers- I’ve heard we’re getting eight (though I’m not positive of that yet)! That means that, since I’m the most experienced volunteer, it’ll be partly my job to show them the ropes of how things are done here. I’m not too worried about that; the work we do really isn’t very hard to learn. That’s all the news for now! This post’s food for thought: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”- Walt Disney 

Why Sharks?

Most sharks we see have some kind of defining marks, like the scars this one has near its head

            Yesterday evening, shortly after finishing up the last blog post, I heard some familiar voices in the backyard and began to smell a fire going in the pit. When I went outside, I saw Mike, Dax, Tom, and a few other people hanging out. Turns out it was another braai night! I hadn’t heard about it earlier, but I wasn’t really surprised, since it was Dax and Mike’s last night. I spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the backyard with everyone. A little later in the evening, just before it got dark, Jerome also came by to hang out with us. We talked some about how many sharks we’ve seen recently, how active they’ve been, and how so many people have such incorrect perceptions of sharks in general. Tom always says to the guests to forget the footage they’ve seen on Shark Week. Shark Week will show an hour of sharks constantly jumping out of the water, quickly chasing the bait, hitting against the cage, and things like that. What people don’t know is it takes a thousand hours of footage to get that one hour that they show. It takes a thousand photographs to get that one perfect shot. We told each other some of our favorite shark stories, like when we’ve been in the cage and seen a shark’s eye turn to look at us as it swims past. A lot of people think that sharks have black, lifeless eyes, but neither one of those things is true. Their eyes are deep blue, not black, and they do turn to look at you when you’re in the cage.

            While we were on the topic of Shark Week, we brought up an interesting question: why sharks? What is it about sharks that fascinates people enough to have an entire, insanely popular week dedicated solely to them each and every year? We all gave our own theories of why- maybe because they’re the oldest group of animals on this planet, so people are interested in them the same way they’re interested in dinosaurs. Maybe because they’re perceived as real life versions of “sea monsters”, seeming more like the stuff of nightmares than reality. Maybe because most people think that if they’ve ever been swimming in the ocean, even in the shallows (which most of us have), they’ve probably been in the presence of sharks. It’s probably some combination of all of those things, maybe with a few other things that we didn’t mention. It’s definitely interesting to think about though. I think that most everyone that works here, not just at White Shark Projects but in this white shark ecotourism industry in general, would probably agree that Shark Week does more harm than good for these animals. By only showing the most “exciting” or “eye-catching” footage, which takes many, many hours to get, these shows promote a completely false image of sharks. People see it and assume the shows are accurately portraying how sharks most often act- and that’s not what they’re doing! As someone that’s spent many hours out on the water with these beautiful animals, I can say that Shark Week is very misleading. I realize that more and more when I talk to the guests on the boat, and hear their false ideas on how these animals are “supposed to” behave. And hey, I get it; Shark Week wants to show the most exciting footage, since that’s what’s going to get the attention and the views. I’m just annoyed that it makes people think that it’s normal behavior for sharks to be constantly flying out of the air, charging at the bait as fast as they can, trying to eat anything you put in front of them. The majority of the sharks that we see around the boat are pretty calm, slowly circling the boat, maybe coming up to the bait, but certainly not violently lashing out at it. Yes, we will get the occasionally feisty one that goes after the bait, maybe steals it, maybe even ends up bumping the cage a little- but that’s the exception, not the rule. I guess the main thing I’ve learned, that I’m trying to say here, is you can watch Shark Week, along with movies like Jaws and Deep Blue Sea, year after year, but none of that will compare to actually getting out on the boat and spending time with these creatures that I love so much.

            Anyway, today we only had one trip out to sea, and the launch wasn’t until 11:30, meaning we didn’t have to be in the garage getting ready until ten. I got to admit, after all the very early mornings in the garage, it was so nice to sleep in a little this morning. It turned out to be a really nice late morning out on the boat- we saw about six or seven sharks, including a few re-sights. It’s actually much easier than you’d think to tell the sharks apart- they’re all very individual creatures! When we came back to the harbor, we hugged Mike goodbye and went to finish cleaning the boat. Turns out Dax is getting to stay one more night, and leaving after the second trip tomorrow. I’ve heard that there should be space for all three vols on both trips tomorrow, the first of which launches at eight. That means that it’ll be a nice long trip! We’ll have to stay out on the water until noon, because the boat can’t get back onto land during low tide. I’m not complaining about that- I like nice long trips out! This post’s food for thought is by Rob Stewart, who was a filmmaker and lover of sharks- he unfortunately just passed away a few months ago. He made a great documentary called Sharkwater, which this quote is taken from: “You’re told your whole life since you were a kid, sharks are dangerous. You’re warned not to go adventuring too far out in the ocean, but then finally… you see the thing you were taught your whole life to fear, and it’s perfect, and it doesn’t want to hurt you, and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. And your whole world changes.”

Best Measured in Friends...

Mike and Dax, our cooks last night. I'll miss these guys! 

            The past few mornings have been very busy and shark-filled here in Gansbaai! But I guess I should start right where my last post left off. Saturday afternoon Dax decided that we should spend the evening going out to Oppidek, a pub in town, to watch a rugby game he wanted to see. Jerome dropped us off at the pub at about five, and after hanging out there and watching the game for maybe an hour and a half, we walked a few streets down to a pizzeria for dinner. I know I’ve already talked about this in a recent blog post, but I think that if people back home spent time in Gansbaai, Cape Town, Pretoria, Hermanus, or the other South African cities and towns I’ve been in, their perception of Africa would change. It’s not all third world. It’s not all this dangerous place with criminals around every corner, waiting to strike. Using common sense, most of the places I’ve mentioned are really safe. It’s okay to walk around, even after dark, without carrying some kind of weapon on you. Trust me, I’ve done it.

            Anyway, after some delicious, much-anticipated pizza, we walked over to Seaview, another pub that I’d been to multiple times before. We spent a few hours there hanging out, listening to music, playing a few games of pool, and really living in the moment. Jerome eventually joined us for a couple of beers and rounds of pool, before we decided to call it a night, arriving back home shortly before eleven.

            The next morning was another bright and early one- I’ve gotten very used to being in the garage at 5:15! The others don’t seem to be quite as used to it though- there was space for all the vols on that first trip yesterday, but I was the only one that ended up going on it! The others decided they’d rather get some more sleep than see the sharks, which I think was a huge mistake, since it was a great first trip! We ended up seeing about eleven sharks yet again. There were two trips yesterday, and I was the only vol that ended up going on both of them. The visibility wasn’t bad on that first trip, but by the second, it had gotten milkier. It’s crazy how the ocean here can change within an hour! Jerome ended up getting to go on both trips out yesterday, which was nice. As maintenance manager, he doesn’t go out on the boat too much anymore; it seems like much more often he has stuff to do on land.

            Between the trips yesterday, we all said goodbye to Lindsay before she hopped on the bus back to Cape Town. A few of the crew almost guaranteed that she’ll be back- one week just isn’t long enough. So, as of yesterday afternoon, there are now only four vols here at WSP, and soon it’ll be even less. Sadly, tomorrow Dax and Mike both leave as well. Lucy and I will definitely miss both of those guys. That also means, amazingly enough, that starting tomorrow there will only be two volunteers here at WSP! I’ve heard that we have some more arriving on April first, so it should only be that way for a few days, but that’ll make for a very busy few days for Lucy and me! We can handle it, of course, but it’ll seem a lot quieter without Dax and Mike.

            After finishing work yesterday, we had some time to relax, then in the evening Lucy and I headed up to the top vol house to have dinner with the guys. Mike insisted on cooking, so we played music and laughed with each other as he whipped up some very delicious burgers for everyone. That kitchen is way better for socializing, since there’s seating at the bar right by the oven and stove, so we can all sit and talk right around the person cooking. It was a really nice evening up at the other house, but knowing that it’d be another early morning wake-up call, we called it a night fairly early.

            This morning there were two more trips out to sea, and I got to go on both of them. Lucy and I were the only vols on the first trip, along with crew members Sibo, Tom, Grant, Benz, and Bee. On the second trip Mike and Dax also hopped on, and Mandla replaced Benz. Both trips were really nice, but the first was better, since the visibility was better and we saw more sharks. We saw thirteen sharks on the first trip this morning! Even better, one of the sharks we saw is one of the biggest that I’ve ever seen. He’s a big male that’s definitely over four meters, some think up to 4 and a half. We’ve been seeing him quite a bit recently actually. He’s known in the area as Tiger, since he has a bunch of scars all over his head, that look like stripes. It’s surprising how easy the sharks are to identify and tell apart- just about every single one has some type of scars or defining marks!

            This afternoon, once the trips were over, the four vols helped clean up the boat, then went over to the garage to wash the wetsuits. While we were washing them, Dax initiated a water fight with the hose, and by the end of it we were all pretty much drenched, but laughing the whole time! Afterwards we quickly went home to change into dry clothes, then Benz drove the four of us to Spar, the grocery store in Gansbaai. As we were loading up the truck after shopping, I noticed a familiar face walking out of Spar. Karla was in charge of the vols the last time I was here, in 2015- she’s since moved to a nearby whale watching company. I didn’t think I’d get the chance to see her this time, since she was recently on vacation in Namibia, but turns out I was lucky enough to see her this afternoon, and it was so nice to catch up for a few minutes! She suggested that the vols do one of the evening cheese and wine whale watching trip that her company offers- we get half price! I’m going to try to ask Tom to set that up soon.

            Pretty soon Lucy and I are going up to the other house to cook dinner and hang out with the guys for one last night. I haven’t heard yet what trips are looking like for tomorrow, but hopefully it’ll be a good morning to see off Dax and Mike! That’s all the news for now! This post’s food for thought is one that I’ve definitely used before, but it’s just so true: “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”- Tim Cahill