Sharks, Whales, Penguins, Seals, Dolphins... this is
an extraordinary and exciting project in a beautiful location, surrounded
by white beaches and blue ocean. And two hours from the world's third
favourite city - Cape Town.
What more could anyone want?
This
project is
a unique opportunity to observe some of the most fascinating sea life in
their natural environment.
This placement is exciting! Here you'll have the opportunity to
work with sharks, whales, penguins, tourism, research and community development.
You’ll be taught, guided and lectured by very skilled field teams.
Location: The
program runs out of Gaansbaai, South Africa. Fieldwork will take place around Dyer Island and possibly other shark
locations. Dyer Island (known as Shark Alley!) is possibly the best place in the world
to see Great Whites. Gaansbaai is a seaside village, which depends on fishing
and tourism for its survival. It is situated approximately two hours south
east of Cape Town.
On one of the main
research sites, Dyer Island, many other wildlife species can be viewed from
the boat. It is the breeding ground for Jackass Penguins*, Cape Cormorants and
Gannets, whilst Geyser Rock opposite, is a breeding mecca for Cape Fur Seals
and currently home to approximately 20 000 seals. In season Whales and an
occasional Dolphin can be spotted. This is a perfect habitat for the Great
White.
* Jackass Penguins:
(Sphenicus demersi). Although commonly known as “African Penguin”, their
nickname is the “Jackass Penguin” because they sound like a donkey. Did you
know, you find these Penguins as far north as Namibia?
The
sharks have been awesome. The largest one I've seen so far was a 3.5m shark
nicknamed "Slashfin" because her dorsal fin is cut. She looks a lot bigger up
close, I can tell you! Got to see a "predation" as well - a shark take out a
seal. Was all over in a matter of minutes, just a pool of blood on the surface
to tell the tale. Also saw a Southern Right whale out on the water which was
pretty cool.
Andrew
Burge, 2005
One of the exciting aspects of this project
is that you may be fortunate
enough to spot all the ‘Marine Big 5’ :
Weather permitting you'll go out to sea frequently. At sea, you'll get involved
as much as possible with all aspects of sea work. Much emphasis will be
placed on observing behaviour and the interactions of marine species around the boat.
You'll record your observations onto datasheets, including data such as sex, size, markings and behaviour.
There is a great
variety of work that you'll be doing and this will largely depend on what work
is required at the time you are there. Seasons play a great part in the work as
well because the different species come and go according to their
seasonally-driven behavioural patterns.
For example, during the
summer time (November through to February), MD (the organisation we work with)
are very involved in Tourist trips and dives. These trips and tourist-related
activities are crucially important because they provide the funds that are used
for MD's research and community development projects. During these months, there
is a possibility that you'll be called on to provide more help with the tourists
and less help with the marine research.
Shark Research
Much emphasis is placed on observing behaviour and the interactions of sharks
around the boat. You will be taught how to get in and out of the cage and how
to remain secure and safe in the cage. You may have to record observations of
the White Sharks. This will include sex, size, markings and behaviour.
You might be asked to help fill in data
sheets for the sharks they spot day to day.
Individual recognition of sharks is
achieved through photographing dorsal fins, marks, scars and colouration. A
shark log is kept for each shark. The objectives of the research are to collate
a database of dorsal fin data which are used to identify individual animals, to
ascertain why the sharks use this area and how long they stay, to study the
behaviour of sharks in their natural environment and in the vicinity of
shark-cage diving boats, as well as to obtain a population estimate.
Whale Research
On the whale boat you will help to GPS all the whales, birds and dolphins.
"Anyone who has had the joy of meeting a mighty
whale face to face will tell you just how magical it is. Huge, gentle,
mysterious, curious. Can you imagine a giant friend, like none other? As
captivated by you as you are by him."
You may also get involved in helping to
rescue animals in need, such as oiled, sick and injured penguins and birds.
Skills learned from the Project: Depending on your previous experience, you
are likely to learn many new skills, from running a boat and keeping it in a
good working order, to identifying the sharks and other marine life and learning
their behaviour. Sometimes researchers use the boat trips to collect data, so
speaking to them will teach you a lot as well.
A rescued oiled penguin
Cape Fur Seals
A TYPICAL DAY
Wake up at and
get ready any time between 6:30 – 8:00. After breakfast, assuming that the boat
trip will take place that day (because the trips are subject to weather
conditions, the day will start with making your way to the ‘Great White House’
where, once the tourists have had their briefing, you will help to dress them in
their jackets and life vests or go and prepare the boat for the trip.
You'll walk the tourists down to the boat.
Once the boat leaves the harbour you’ll spend between 3 and 6 hours out at sea.
The Shark Boat will go out once or twice a day depending on numbers and
time of year and the Whale Boat normally goes out four times a day (for a
duration of roughly 2 hours for each trip).
During your time on the shark boat,
Shark Fever, you'll participate in data collection. Once a shark is spotted,
you will need to record as much information as you can about it, including data
such as size, sex, any scars or other identifying marks, the length of time it
remains around the boat, behaviour, and if it is a re-sight, etc. You'll be
informed about what information you need to collect.
If it is decided that it is a ‘good’ shark,
the cage will be lowered into the sea and you'll help with preparing the
tourists for the cage dives. This will include getting them into their wetsuits.
You may not participate in a cage dive on
each occasion, but you should have the opportunity on couple of occasions. Not
every boat trip ends in a cage dive – it will depend on whether there are any
sharks around at that time, whether the sea conditions are conducive to lowering
a cage, and other similar factors. Just to give you an example, though, a very
recent volunteer on a one-month placement went out to sea on 20 occasions, but
the cage was only lowered on 9 of those occasions.
At the end of the 5 hours, you will return
to the shore and here your work will continue. Once back in shore you might have
to wash the boat down and pack all the kit up. The equipment needs to be washed
and hung to dry for the next day. If it is busy there might be a second boat
trip so all the above is repeated. If not, they have the rest of the day off.
The work you do will ideally be split
between the two boats, Shark Fever and Whale Whisperer, and work
on land or in the office. It will largely depend on what is happening at the
time of your placement and where the most help is needed. This is only a rough
idea of the work that you will be doing.
You'll be given information and the
necessary material to help you answer any general questions that the tourists on
the boats might ask you and you will be expected to know and provide basic
information.
Lectures and Activities
During your placement you might have the opportunity to attend some lectures on
various aspects of shark and marine conservation. The number of lectures will
vary at different times of the year.
Wherever possible, a weekly lecture and
activity will try to be organised for you. However, due to the workload at the
time of the year and other external factors, this may not always take place.
Tube-feeding an injured Giant Petrel
Building nests for the penguins on Dyer Island
ABOUT
THE GREAT WHITE SHARK
Sharks are intelligent and vulnerable,
deserving of sympathy and respect. Education helps people to lose the Jaws
phenomenon and gain the realisation that sharks are a complex and precious
species, living in the water – just doing their best to survive.
100,000,000 sharks are killed each year by humans, usually through fishing. They
are, as a result, on a collision course with extinction. Great White Sharks are
the last wild predator on earth that we cannot tame; from that point of view
alone it deserves our respect and attention.
How could our oceans be the same without the glorious Great White beneath its
surface.
Great White Sharks are very stable animals,
displaying stable and predictable behaviour. They do not like to fight with or
bite one another. They are highly intelligent animals, able to learn quickly and
to remember. This is all new and contradictory evidence in the field and it is
apparent that the Shark Team are just scratching the surface now.
Finding the Great White, or letting them
find you, is a skill, involving years of practice, the water temperature, depth,
visibility, swell height, current and wind direction are all major factors. Once
the site is found, the bait is prepared and the team awaits the shark,
respecting it as a free animal. A recent tagging project was very successful
allowing a number of Great Whites to be tracked.
Possible Extinction: Considering the incredible number of between 150 - 200 million sharks
destroyed each year, there is a potential threat of extinction to these species.
Most sharks are slow growing, have late maturation and low fecundity and this is
the shark's downfall. They cannot replace their stocks to keep up with human
exploitation, such as say, sardines can.
Lets look at the Great White Shark. The
Great White Shark female takes approximately 15 years to become sexually mature,
and the male about 8 years. At these ages the female will be around five meters
long and the male around four meters long. The Great White Sharks' fecundity is
low, so the female may possibly only give birth to several litters of pups in a
lifetime and these litters are relatively small, ranging from about seven to
eleven pups in a litter.
So due to the shark's
inability to reproduce quickly, stock replacement is not occurring and
subsequently the populations of the world are fast diminishing. In fact, they
are being wiped out far quicker than most people realise, with many species
critically endangered and some species literally on the brink of extinction.
The Great White Shark is
now protected in South Africa, California, South Australia and Tasmania, and
although this is only one of almost 400 species of shark, its protection is a
step in the right direction.
The Great White is a key
stone species on this planet and its protection, subsequent media attention and
high public profile allows us to use it as a battering ram to push for the
protection of other shark species.
About Dyer Island:The name of the island
originated from an African American, Samson Dyer, who went to live on the island
in the 19th century. He collected "guano" (bird droppings), and made a living
from supplying it to farmers on the mainland as fertilizer. The boats that
transported the guano from the island
are today in the Maritime Museum at the Waterfront in
Cape Town.
Dyer Island (larger island) is the breeding ground of Jackass Penguins, Cape
Cormorants and Gannets, while Geyser Rock (smaller island) is a breeding
Mecca for Cape Fur Seals and currently home to approx. 50 000 seals. In season,
whales and dolphins may also be spotted.
Shark taking bait - Photo courtesy of Independent
Productions
YOUR
ACCOMMODATION
The "Great White House"
Your accommodation will be in a comfortable house in Kleinbaai.
You
will stay in a shared dorm room and you have the use of a bathroom, a
kitchen, lounge area, and courtyard braai area. The house is situated within
a short 10 mins walking distance from the ‘The Great White House’, which is the
project office and meeting point for tourists. There is a shop and cafe as well.
Internet is available for you to use at the MD office at the
Great White House. There are also two internet cafes in the town.
Food:
Food is not provided on this project. However, the local supermarket stocks
a variety of food and there are kitchen facilities in the house for cooking.
You'll need to take additional funds with you to cover the cost of meals.
At the time of writing this, a very loose guide of how much you’re likely to
need is R1,000 per month (roughly £88, eating sensibly and cheaply) to
R1,500 (roughly £132, on which you should be eating fairly well). (These
exchange figures correct at time of writing.)
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
Where possible, all flights we
arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers
choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country.
Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa
and the level of your air ticket, of course.
If you choose to book your own
flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the
airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not.
Local women working in the community craft shop
You will usually fly into
Cape Town,where you will be
welcomed by a Travellers representative. He will
welcome you, introduce you to everyone and see that you're
settled in.
From there you'll be taken
to Gaansbaai, where the project takes place.
VISAS:. In countries where visas or
immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
PRICES:
MINI PROJECTS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in South Africa, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
unless otherwise stated,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.