gee13
Contributor
Didnt have too much on last weekend and the weather has been rather too hot lately anyway so decided to head out with some friends to the cooler climate of Port Lincoln SA to see some Seals and Great White Sharks. Waters were a crisp 18C and topside temps a sweet 21C max.
It was a return leg of 8+ hours in flights, 9+ hours boat travelling and an equal amount of time drinking some great local wines and brews. Photo opportunities were rather scarce with poor visibility in the kelp beds of Seal Cove. However it was quite an exciting way to interact with them as it was actually my first experience underwater with a group of seals in the wild. We must have had about 10-15 at one stage. 1 or 2 of them decided to hang around me an I got some playful shots.
The cage dive at Neptune Island was simply awesome though it was limiting to try to get any in focus or up close shots as the sharks were mainly circling around 10+m away and I didnt have the right lens which would give me a good focal range for those distances. We were hosted by Adventure Bay Charters which are an excellent, safe and laid back eco tour operator. They play rock music underwater to attract the sharks intstead of berleying. I must admit though it would have been even more mind blowing if it were one of the other charters that were using bait to lure them in who got some high energy feeding out of water action whereas the sharks that came to check us out were mainly curious ones and didnt hang around for long. Nevertheless it was eye opening in the least to see the apex predator in the ocean. We got to see a 4m Male and a 5-6 M Female. Most who wont or dont get a chance for such encounters may never realise that Great Whites have a much higher instinct and intelligence then they are generally given a lesser respect for. Once you see them in the wild I guarantee you will earn a much different perspective. Im certainly going to be back someday to do this trip again for sure.
It was a return leg of 8+ hours in flights, 9+ hours boat travelling and an equal amount of time drinking some great local wines and brews. Photo opportunities were rather scarce with poor visibility in the kelp beds of Seal Cove. However it was quite an exciting way to interact with them as it was actually my first experience underwater with a group of seals in the wild. We must have had about 10-15 at one stage. 1 or 2 of them decided to hang around me an I got some playful shots.
The cage dive at Neptune Island was simply awesome though it was limiting to try to get any in focus or up close shots as the sharks were mainly circling around 10+m away and I didnt have the right lens which would give me a good focal range for those distances. We were hosted by Adventure Bay Charters which are an excellent, safe and laid back eco tour operator. They play rock music underwater to attract the sharks intstead of berleying. I must admit though it would have been even more mind blowing if it were one of the other charters that were using bait to lure them in who got some high energy feeding out of water action whereas the sharks that came to check us out were mainly curious ones and didnt hang around for long. Nevertheless it was eye opening in the least to see the apex predator in the ocean. We got to see a 4m Male and a 5-6 M Female. Most who wont or dont get a chance for such encounters may never realise that Great Whites have a much higher instinct and intelligence then they are generally given a lesser respect for. Once you see them in the wild I guarantee you will earn a much different perspective. Im certainly going to be back someday to do this trip again for sure.
