“What an amazing start to my month volunteering with White Shark Diving Co. No sooner had I arrived in Gansbaai I was introduced to the crew and into the cage for my first experience with great white sharks! Favourable weather gave plenty of opportunity to observe white sharks from the cage or boat, as well as fishing or snorkeling for catsharks to tag, measure and release. With plenty of catsharks around, we had a couple of spiny dogfish, bronze whalers and grey reef sharks biting too. Each week we visited the school in Gansbaai to teach the marine biology group about our oceans, whether that be through presentations, practical activities or a trip down to the beach to collect and identify shark egg cases – the students loved it as much as the volunteers. Large swells gave us a couple of days off and what better way to use them than go on a road trip! We headed to Wilderness with a quick stop-over at Knysna Heads. During our trip we went to the elephant sanctuary, bungee jumped off the highest commercial bungee bridge in the world, visited local craft shops and ended our days with a few drinks, dinner and live music. Whether recording white shark data, tagging catsharks or enjoying the local scenery, there was never a dull moment!” – Daniel Sokolnikoff
Underwater photography – Daniel Sokolnikoff