Stellenbosch and Diving with the Great Whites

Regina and I did very minimal research when we planned this trip. We picked our airline tickets based solely on what was cheapest for the dates we had. Amazingly, we have had great luck with being in the right place at the perfect time weather wise: Kenya for the Great Migration, Mozambique for whale shark and whale season, Etosha for the dry season (when all the animals gather around the waterhole). Our luck was not meant to last, the next morning, our shark dive was cancelled due to wind. We didn’t quite know what to do. We decided to head to Stellenbosch, the heart of South Africa’s wine country, planning to return to Hermanus the next day for kayaking with the whales. By the time we made it to Stellenbosch, it was already afternoon. Kaitlin and I rushed to fit in a few of our most-wanted wineries, while Regina and Alla explored Stellenbosch and did a hike on the wine trail. We made it to Kanonkop, Neetlingshof, and JC Le Roux. The whole area is so beautiful, with rolling hills and mountains peeking out in the distance. The Paul Sauer at Kanonkop was the best wine I had while in Africa, but it was over $100 a bottle so I had to be satisfied with the tasting. It is much prettier than Napa Valley, and the wineries are very well marked. It was a blast having one-on-one time with Kaitlin. She is such a cutie. She is the same age as my little sister. Our favorite winery was Neetlingshof. Though Kaitlin enjoyed the scenery (the cute waiter serving sparkling wine) at JC Le Roux better. Kaitlin bought a couple bottles for us to drink later. Later on, we wandered around the cute shops in the town center and grabbed dinner at an okay Lebanese restaurant. The next morning we got a late start to head back to Hermanus. By the time we made it, the wind had started up again and the whale kayaking was cancelled AGAIN. With a whole afternoon and no plans, we decided to take advantage of the good restaurants. We had a great thai meal at the Gecko Bar right on the bay in Old Harbor. Afterwards, we went shopping, walked around New Harbor watching the whales—this time they were showing off their mad breaching and skyhopping skills, and eating dinner at a forgettable Italian restaurant. We were very happy to hear from Alex that evening. He and his brother, Olivier, who was visiting from France, were joining us for the shark diving. Even though Alex was not feeling very well, he came to meet us when we got back from the restaurant. We all stayed up talking until poor, sick Alex couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. The next morning, the winds had finally died down enough to go cage diving. Cage diving with the Great Whites was one of those things that I knew I wanted to do from the day we started planning the trip. There was a (very) brief moment when we considered not doing it because some people said that the bait process they use to attract the sharks to the boat makes the sharks associate people with food. As our guide explained, though, the boat tries not to let the sharks catch the bait because then the shark will lose interest and move on. Also, the sharks cannot differentiate the people from the cage and boat. We are all one being to the shark. I am so glad that we decided to go. It was exhilarating. The process was very different than I envisioned. The cage is attached to the side of the boat. Five people at a time are allowed in the cage. You sit in the cage on the surface until the guide yells, “Down!” Then you submerge yourself holding onto a bar and stay down as long as you can or until the shark swims away. We repeated this process over and over again until we were too cold to spend another minute in the water. From the time we anchored, it only took about 10 minutes for a shark to approach the boat. We quickly suited up (the water was freezing!) and hopped in the cage. Despite the fact that we were expecting them, the first time the guide screamed “Down” and we submerged ourselves face to face with a Great White was terrifying.


Our boat was very lucky. We had several Great Whites approaching the boat over and over again the whole time we were there. Apparently the other boats around us had waited over an hour to see any sharks. Then, when we were not in the cage, we sat on the front of the boat absorbing as much heat from the sun as we could and watching the sharks go after the bait. This is where Kaitlin taught Alex about spooning and that spooning can sometimes lead to forking. Except with Alex’s accent, forking sounds like “fucking.” I laughed for almost ten minutes straight during this interaction and it was the basis for many inside jokes during the remainder of the trip. After diving and lunch, Regina, Kaitlin, Alla, and I followed our guide to a spot where the whale watching is supposed to be good. There were no whales, but a whole school of dolphins. Kaitlin and I ran down to the beach as fast as we could. I stopped to put on sunscreen, then followed Kaitlin through the kelp and around the rocks and weird tide break to get out to the open ocean. While I was swimming, I saw dolphins surfacing literally feet away from Kaitlin. I have never seen anyone get that close to dolphins in the wild. I didn’t get as close (dang sunscreen!), but still got within 20 feet, closer than I have ever been to dolphins in the water in the wild. It was a very moving experience, especially for Kaitlin. Later that night, after dropping Alla off at the airport, we met up with Alexis and Olivier for a night out on Cape Town. I was skeptical about what we would find on a Monday night, but it was Olivier’s last night in South Africa. We started at Zulas, which we had almost entirely to ourselves, and ended at Marvel, which was packed! The music was decent and we ended up staying out until 4 a.m. Not bad for a Monday night. Despite the lack of sleep, hangovers, etc., Tuesday was a surprisingly productive, if not uneventful, day. Regina and I had breakfast at a gourmet shop on the Waterfront, bought tickets to Robben Island, obtained packing materials, and bought provisions for climbing the next day. For dinner, we went to Mojitos, a decent Cuban restaurant. Kaitlin won two bottles of wine.