Into the Big Blue

I promised not to post any more about Great White Sharks, but I didn’t say anything about Mako Sharks. Earlier this week I was privileged to do another ocean trip with my friends Chris & Monique Fallows, and it turned-out to be an absolutely incredible experience.

It’s impossible to decide what was the highlight of the trip. How does one choose between seeing albatrosses, Shearwaters, Storm Petrels, Common Dolphins or diving with Bottlenose Dolphins,  False Killer Whales, Mako Shark or Blue Shark?

Since I didn’t have my camera with me, Chris kindly provided the pictures that you see below, and that has decided the subject matter of this post. Diving with a Mako Shark was nothing short of incredible.

Sunlight on Mako

Mako Sharks are open water sharks that reach a length of more than 3 metres and there are records of weights of 500 Kg. They are perfectly adapted to their role as predators with a hydro-dynamically efficient bullet-shape powered by a powerful caudal fin that allows them to reach burst speeds of almost 80km/hr and all backed-up with a mouthful of formidable teeth.

Open Ocean Hunter

Like the Great White Shark, the Makos are able to behaviorally increase their body temperature, thereby giving themselves and additional advantage over their prey.

Evolutionary poetry

Diving with this beautiful animal with half a kilometre of water below me and thousands of kilometres of sea around me was an awesome experience. It reminded me so much of being on safari. This shark was very inquisitive and kept circling and returning to check on us. It was never aggressive at all but came to within half a metre of us on several occasions.

If you would like the best possible shark experience or open ocean experience when you are next in Cape Town, please let me know and I’ll arrange an Ocean Safari for you with Chris and Monique.