CAPE TOWN
more blue sharks have appeared. They glide towards her. One peels off while the other sticks its nose right into her face. She gently pushes it aside and it carries on its way towards a second chum bucket, which is attached to a buoy rope and carefully watched by Brocq. I float next to the red buoy, watching the filmmaker push his giant camera rig around, twin lights sticking out like side mirrors. Soon, another shark arrives, and another, and the water below is a silent ballet of arms, legs, tails and bubbles. There must be at least 10 blue sharks; it’s hard to count them, as they circle and shimmy between the divers. One of them swims up to the buoy next to me, and is soon joined by two more. They’re close enough to touch. I take photos of their open mouths as they snatch and bite at the rope. As one of the sharks turns to head deeper towards the bucket, I dive down next to it, flying sideways, our bodies perfectly synced. Back on the boat, greedily tucking
into cheese sandwiches, Keri, Lisa and I stare at one another with big eyes. All we can do is shake our heads and snort hysterically. During the three dives we’ve done throughout the day, we’ve spotted a shy mako that kept its distance, its metallic blue back catching ripples of light. We’ve seen albatross, and white-chinned petrels squabbling over hake heads behind a trawler; two seals playfully arcing around us; clouds of tiny copepods glittering like sapphires down in the depths; and salps and comb jellies pulsing and lighting up like strobes in a nightclub. As we head back towards the harbour
in Simon’s Town, the setting winter sun creates an Instagram-friendly image of peaches and apricots and yellows on one side of the boat. On the other side, towards the horizon, a three- quarter moon shines bright in the sky. Suddenly, the boat turns back towards the deep and Morne starts whooping. The surface of the sea is boiling — as we get closer, we see dozens and dozens of dusky dolphins careening through the water. Everyone hangs over the side of the boat, watching as the dolphins surf the bow wave, squeaking and clicking, the water slipping off their slick backs. Cameras on selfie sticks click along with the rhythmical sound of the dolphins snuffling and exhaling.
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natgeotraveller.co.uk HOW TO DO IT
SHARK EXPLORERS offers dives with blue sharks and makos from November to June (from R2,350 [£130] per person to snorkel, including kit). The company has a host of other shark experiences on offer, from cage diving with great whites (from mid-January to mid-October) to year-round dives with broadnose sevengill sharks and Cape fur seals. Shark Explorers also offers snorkelling expeditions with seals and diving expeditions
further up the coast, near Port St Johns, during the annual sardine run, where you can encounter numerous marine animals, such as humpback whales, copper sharks and dolphins, feasting on bait balls.
sharkexplorers.com
EMIRATES offers non-direct flights from Heathrow to Cape Town from £635 return, while British Airways offers direct flights from £718.
emirates.com ba.com
Dusky dolphins
IMAGE: MORNE HARDENBERG
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