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At Aliwal Shoal, just south of Durban on the East Coast of South Africa, you can, if you are so inclined, go scuba diving with sharks.
The water is warm, the visibility is usually good, and the chances of seeing sharks, especially from July to November, are exceptionally high.
There are of course, a few techniques you have to master. The first is the ability to drop through the first 3 or four feet of water like a stone. There are quite strong currents near the surface, and you have to get past them if you're going to see sharks at all.
The second technique is how not to frighten the sharks.
While I wait for the manic laughing in the background to die down, and the hecklers to stop making comments about how maybe the sharks should learn how not to frighten you, let's make a few things clear.
To begin with, we're not talking Great White. We're talking about ragged tooth sharks, which are not naturally aggressive.
They are quite large sharks. The average female raggie grows ups to about 440 lb, a lot larger than the average man, but not nearly as large as a fully grown Great White at around 2,200 lb.
They are also fish eaters. If you want to know what a shark eats, look at its teeth. Perhaps you weren't planning to get quite that close, so we'll draw on the results of scientific examination. Raggies have smooth non-serrated teeth, for spiking their food rather than cutting it. They wouldn't be able to remove any precious body parts even if they tried. Sharks that attack man usually have teeth designed for cutting.
The second thing to know is that sharks slow down in warm water. Around Durban, sea temperatures in winter (which is June, July and August, the height of summer in the US and UK) easily average around 70 Fahrenheit. At this time, the sharks are languidly making their way up to Mozambique, which is even warmer, in order to breed. But as most shark attacks take place in warmer waters, it's a good idea not to frighten them into attacking.
It's especially wise if you're lucky enough to come across a hammerhead, tiger shark or even the Zambezi shark during your dive. These are the sharks with the cutting style of teeth.
You also want your sharks to feel safe and secure, so they will swim photogenically around you rather than heading off in the opposite direction at high speed.
You're going to learn a new way of breathing. Sharks dislike bubbles, so you're going to learn to breathe with as few bubbles as possible. This is quite neat, because it saves a lot of air, and you can stay underwater longer.
You're also going to learn to stay calm and relaxed, and swim with slow relaxed movements so that you can approach the sharks safely. Then you'll find a convenient place to stay perfectly still while you admire these giant creatures of the deep as they circle around and around their favorite rock formations.
Of course, you will still swim in pairs. And you will keep a 360 degree vision while swimming in shark waters. A shark that's going to attack is not going to show itself to you until it's ready for that first bite. So the most dangerous shark is the one you don't see. It's a good idea to keep a wary eye open for sudden quick movements from the back.
Of course, humans aren't on the shark food chain. Just one bite and they'll know they're wrong - and they'll spit you out just as quickly.
In fact, statistics of sharks taking divers underwater are very low. In South Africa, there is only one recorded incident ever of a serious shark attack on a diver, and that was by a Great White in the colder waters of Mossel Bay.
Your greatest risk is when you're swimming on the surface, looking like a seal. Or paddling on a surfboard, looking like some kind of turtle. Sharks find it hard to tell the difference, and the appearance of food tells them they're hungry!
Luckily, when you're diving with raggies, that issue doesn't come into play. It's very hard for a scuba diver to look like a sardine.
If you do want to dive with sharks, it's a good idea to do the shark specialization course, which takes about a weekend. First, you learn the techniques for diving safely with sharks. Second, you get to dive before anyone else that day, so the sharks haven't been frightened off yet. And third, you'll learn when it's wise to get out of the water fast.
So don't shy away from the idea of diving with sharks. It's not as dangerous as it sounds, though you do need due caution. And meeting a large shark face to face underwater is an experience you won't forget easily.
Just don't tell your mother before you go.
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