Gansbaai, South Africa, March 5, 2016

Day 3-

After a 3 hour drive through traffic and fog, we arrived at Gansbaai-

for white shark cage diving.  White sharks are the largest predatory shark and are apex predators which means they have no predators besides man.  This isn't really diving. You stand or float in the cage and go up and down depending on the guides instructions.

Our boat easily accommodated 17 people-

The cage is hoisted on the back for transporting.  

After a 15 minute ride we were ready to go.  I was in the first group-

and we saw 4 different sharks, ranging in size from 2.5 to 3 meters.  A 2.5 meter shark weighs about 2.5 tonne and a 3 meter shark weighs 5 tonne!

A tuna head is attached to the rope and the sharks are teased with the bait-

One of our divers was left in the cage with the lid open when this giant went by-

He didn't know the shark was behind him until the shark hit the cage with his tail!

On our way home, a guide was baiting this endocytic skua.  They have just arrived to spend the winter-

and love racing the boats to catch the bait.

My journey has come to an end.  Since October 1, I've been wearing the same few clothes, sleeping in a tent or occasionally a bed, eating different foods, listening to different languages, enjoying the weather and loving every minute of it - well, almost.  

Looking forward to heading home tomorrow!