Day 20 to 21, September 29th to 30th, 2018. Beautiful weather and a school holiday made this weekend very busy. Relatively calm waters gave way to great photo and video. Of course, none of it would be possible without the animals living in these waters. Southern right whales were plentiful and we luckily ran into a baby albino. These are known as Brindle Southern right whales and are a rare find (only 4% have this unique coloration). On a sad note, we encountered a cape fur seal who was entangled in a piece of plastic (see photo). We tried to capture the seal during our trips but were unsuccessful. Marine Dynamics, the company I am volunteering with, is monitoring the seal and working with the government to organize a rescue mission.

Day 19, September 28th, 2018. It was a lovely day on the water! And by lovely, I mean there was a strong westerly wind which made the day’s trips extra bumpy. I volunteered on two whale watching trips. On the first trip, a young Southern right whale got within feet of our boat. There was a loud “woosh” as the whale exhaled next to us (see photo). We encountered a juvenile African penguin on the second trip – he/she looked very lonely in the cold ocean water (see photo). I ended the day by updating the company’s whale watch blog with photos and a description of our trip. Please see a link to the blog post and photos from the trip below.

https://www.whalewatchsa.com/whale-tours-news/imv-guest-blog-28-september-2018/

Day 18, September 27th, 2018. Today we helped to transport a plastic wave to Hermanus for the upcoming whale festival. Marine Dynamics, the company I am volunteering with, will be showcasing the wave and raising awareness for their conservation projects. The wave is made from used water bottles, fishing nets, and plastic bags. After setting up the wave, we had some downtime to explore Hermanus and meet the locals. Hermanus is one of the best places on earth for land-based whale watching. It more than lives up to its reputation. We saw dozens of Southern right whales breaching, tail slapping, and hanging out.

Day 16 to 17, September 25th to 26th, 2018. We’ve been stuck on land for the last two days due to high winds and rough seas. Luckily, the Western Cape is beautiful and full of things to do. On day 16 we rested and visited a local winery. On day 17 we took a road trip to Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of Africa. Many believe the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa. This is not correct. As the plaque reads, “you are now at the southern-most tip of the continent of Africa.” Cape Agulhas is the official border for the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Reaching Cape Agulhas was a spiritual and geographic milestone.

Day 15, September 24th, 2018. Today I was back to full strength and volunteered on two shark diving trips. On the first trip, we encountered two never before seen great white sharks. The first was a four-meter female who was rumored to be patrolling the area. She stayed with us only briefly but took a few hits at the bait. The second was a small juvenile white shark. The shark only surfaced once but was a welcomed sight. The presence of younger great whites is a good sign for the ecosystem. Another epic day on the water!

Day 12 to 14, September 21st to 23rd, 2018. I’ve been sick the last few days with a case of “travelers sickness.” I am feeling better today and will be back on the water tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a quick video update on the last few days.

Day 11, September 20th, 2018. The day began with a 5AM wake-up and a great white shark. It feels so good to write that. Seeing these sharks has been a lifelong dream. I volunteered on three shark diving trips and spent roughly nine hours at sea. It was a long day but tons of fun with the guests and crew. We spotted a great white on our morning dive but I did not have my camera around. It was the same shark we saw on September 15th. Today’s video includes additional footage from the September 15th encounter. Enjoy!

Day 10, September 19th, 2018. With my volunteer assignment 33% over (sadly), the “cape of storms” earned its name again today. I assisted on two whale watching trips which were very bumpy. While some customers became seasick, the crew really enjoyed the waves. The day ended with a beautiful sunset and nachos. I could not have asked for a better end to the day.

Day 9, September 18th, 2018. Today I assisted with two shark cage dives and listened to a presentation from our marine biologist. The highlight and coldest part of the day was getting into the shark cage with no wetsuit. Luckily, the ocean was a balmy 60 degrees Fahrenheit (warm for these waters). I saw numerous bronze whalers which made the dive exhilarating. After the dive, I learned about five great whites who passed away in 2017. Their deaths were well publicized and covered in the 2018 season of Shark Week. Four of the five sharks were found missing their livers, a calling card of killer whale predation. It is believed that port and starboard, two male killer whales, are responsible for the deaths. Since 2017, great white sightings have been in decline.

Day 8, September 17th, 2018. The ocean was angry with us today. We did not run cage diving trips because of the wind and waves. I assisted with two whale watching trips which were awesome – the rough waters made them really fun! The highlight of the day occurred when we encountered an African penguin which was entangled in fishing line. We tried to retrieve the penguin but it was very elusive. Our crew caught up with the penguin on land and brought it to the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary, which is maintained by the organization I am volunteering with. The penguin will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild. See this link for more information on the African penguin and the rehabilitation center: https://www.dict.org.za/#african-penguins-my-story-african-penguin-seabird-sanctuary