IMAGES: LISA BEASLEY; MORNE HARDENBERG, FANIE LOUBSER
CAPE TOWN
ETHICS OF CHUMMING
Founder of Shark Explorers Morne Hardenberg explains the practice of chumming (using natural fish products to create a scent that attracts sharks) doesn’t have a negative impact on the sharks — unless it’s used daily in order to condition the sharks, or to lure them to their deaths. When the shark leaves the area of chumming, the impact ends.
FREEDIVING IN CAPE TOWN
forests. There was nothing I liked better than to descend into the silence and swim behind a gully, watching its tail curl through the kelp, holding my breath until my diaphragm started contracting and I was forced to surface. I inhale deeply and raise my hand.
“Has anyone ever bled from being bitten?” I ask Brocq. My husband has an amputation phobia. I need to keep all of me together. “Only me,” says Brocq. “But not badly.” Skipper Morne Hardenberg smiles
and says it’ll be alright. I believe him — not only because he has a seafaring beard and wears mirrored sunglasses, but because he and his marine-biologist wife, Alison Kock, are highly regarded and passionate shark experts who have researched the ocean’s apex predators for the past two decades, helping to demystify the much-maligned fish and campaign for its conservation. Morne’s shark footage has been featured in various documentaries, including the BBC’s recent Blue Planet II series. Finally, trapped in full neoprene, I sit
and wait for the others. Keri and Lisa have opted to scuba and are kitting up. Staring into the water, I’m acutely aware I’ll be floating alone on the surface while everyone else bubbles below me, able to see one another’s eyes. What if the sharks take a liking to my pale sides and think I’m a tasty bit of sashimi? Crew member and all-round champion Nina Cole is patiently cutting up sardines and throwing them into a chum bucket attached by a rope to the side of the boat. She periodically shakes the bucket and a cloud of flesh and rust-coloured blood forms a trail in the water. This is what has brought the blue shark here. I want to ask about great whites, but I’d overheard Morne telling the American filmmaker on board that they’ve been scarce over
the past year. Morne had said this could be due to two things — humans’ impact on the marine environment or, for short periods, because of an influx of orcas, who move in on their territory. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that while so much of what goes on underwater is a mystery to us, it — like the land we inhabit — is sensitive to change, and we humans have a lot to answer for. The first thing I see is blue. It’s
everywhere: around, below, above, right, leſt. I lie face-down on the surface, slow my breathing, take a deep inhalation and dive. With more than 1,100ſt of Atlantic Ocean below me, I fin deeper than I’ve ever gone before. The blue is broken up only by shaſts of light radiating from what feels like the centre of Earth. It’s as though I’m dropping through a cocoon that could be infinity. Except I need to breathe. And quickly. I shoot back up to the surface and it’s almost a surprise to see the boat and the birds and the sky and the others, bobbing like islands, checking their regulators. Floating on my stomach, peering into
the blue, I see the shape of a shark about 30ſt away moving through the water in quick sideways movements. As it heads towards me, I ready my hands, but there’s no gentle pushing required. Just before it bumps into me, it turns and glides past, allowing me to take in its form and colour. It’s magnificent — shaped like a fighter jet, its nose long and pointed, and its black eyes like massive discs a giant would use in tiddlywinks. But it’s the shark’s skin that really surprises me: it’s the texture of velvet and the colour of frosted mauve lipstick. Below, the scuba divers float like
astronauts newly ejected into space. Keri looks up and waves. I do an exaggerated okay sign with my fingers, and then point behind her, where two
LEARN TO FREEDIVE The freediving scene in Cape Town is steadily growing, thanks in part to John and Daniela Daines, passionate ocean warriors who run Cape Town Freediving. A two-day, certified introductory course to recreational freediving costs R2,370 (£131).
capetownfreediving.com
RECOMMENDED CAMERA GEAR All my dive buddies use either an Olympus Tough TG-5 compact, preferably with a wide- angle lens and diffuser ring, or a GoPro HERO6. Both are excellent; the Olympus is excellent at taking macro shots and the GoPro’s great for high-quality video.
NEED TO KNOW The ocean is subject to strong winds and tides, so freediving with an experienced buddy is essential. While attacks by great whites are uncommon, it’s generally advised that freedivers stay within the relative safety of the kelp forests, which also offer an abundance of life. Most dive sites can be easily accessed from shore.
Adventure September 2018 35
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