Shark Poem by African Shark Eco-Charters
12th April
Crazy shark day!! And a poem dedicated to all the ‘Mark the Sharks’ we have around Seal Island at the moment (for those who haven’t picked up on it yet, we seem to name many of the sharks around the boat Mark. We have Mark 1, Mark 2 and even Mark 3. Who knows where this will go….. and it all started from one little (Well actually quite big, about 3.5metres) white shark who turned up at the boat with a – yep youve guessed it – big scratch (or mark!) on his side.
But first, this whole week has been a great build up of shark activity. Dare I say it, every trip has been near on perfect. We have had a brilliant mixture of great guests, and memorable shark activity. Since the few bad weather days in False Bay last weekend the shark activity seems to have picked up. None more so than with our decoy tows! These tows, for those that haven’t been on our boat in peak season, are done by towing a fake juvenile seal – made of foam and a wetsuit – behind our boat to encourage the sharks to breach on it (jump out of the water!) in order to show our guests the amazing hunting behaviour of the great white shark in these waters. Now seeing as it is so early on in the year these tows have not become a regular part of our trips yet; however, through good judgement or sheer luck of the 5 tows we have done this week we have had 4 breaches! Almost unheard of at this time of year!! To be able to witness this unbelievable behaviour first hand for everyone on board is always a moment of sheer exultation! Speaking from a crew members point of view, you never get tired of watching these magnificent animals flying through the air at any unexpected moment. Theres always the few people who get distracted by a seal, or the beautiful sunrise, or just happen to look away and miss it. We try to warn people, but decoy towing does take patience. Sometimes you are rewarded, and sometimes now. This week we have been crazily lucky, and long may it continue!
As to the cage diving, well the great white shark numbers are definitely on the increase around Seal Island. We have noticed a definite increase in the numbers of sharks coming to the boat, but also the hunting behaviour has been on the rise. Most days we have seen a seal kill, add in our decoy breaches, as well as the great whites active behaviour around the bait and it’s a good indication that peak season is on its way!
So I promised you a poem, and here it is, dedicated to all the sharks, especially the Marks, at the Island. I can’t however take credit for it, as it comes from my mother, but hopefully all the way from England she can persuade a few of you who may be unsure about great white shark cage diving to come and give it a go!!!
Eco Charters has a boat, called Blue Pointer 2, It bobs around the ocean in sun and scenic blue, They’ll take you out to look at sharks and maybe orcas too, You’ll cruise up to Seal Island with all the greatest views, Ask, the crew will tell you. ‘Which shark did I see? Which one snapped the decoy? Which one could it be?’ Then gasp in wonder as they say ‘We know that shark so well! We recognise its scars and flaws … its MARK, we can all tell!’ But if you catch the boat again and take a trip to sea, You may see more sharks swimming by … how lucky that would be! The happy crew of Pointer 2, loyal shark savers, Have found that all sharks have some scars and that it doesn’t waver, They identify each Great White, they count record and note, Take photos, chart, observe the fish, all done from the boat, When each small blemish is detected, checked, and detailed plainly, The crew return to Simons Town (for food and drinking mainly), But one last thing before they dock, before the nights too dark … What was that shark called? Do we know? Oh, yes! Of course! Its MARK!
Kimxxx
