Day 25, October 4th, 2018. Great white sharks. A seal eating a squid. Breaching whales. Baby penguins. It’s all in a day’s work. Today began with an early morning shark cage dive. We spotted a juvenile great white shark not long after dropping anchor. The shark spent over 15 minutes with us as it circled and lunged for the bait. On two occasions, it partially breached out of the water (see video). Not to be outdone by its ocean nemesis, a baby cape fur seal caught a squid right next to our boat. Because they grip prey with their teeth, seals tend to fling it back and forth which breaks it into bite-size chunks (see photos). Sometimes they even launch their prey into the air. Needless to say, it was quite a spectacle. After the shark cage dive, I volunteered on an afternoon whale watch. We saw numerous tails slaps and breaches. The tail slaps, in particular, grabbed my attention. I observed how their tails twist into different shapes which changes their direction in the water (see photos). It’s like the whales are sculpting the water with their powerful tails. It’s amazing how well these animals are built for life at sea. I ended the day by volunteering at our African penguin rehabilitation center. Being hands-on with the penguins was remarkable – feeling their heartbeat against my hands was unlike anything I’ve experienced.
Phone Keys Snorkel 