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It was the kind of morning that made you feel lucky to be alive. Out at sea,
on board a luxury dive vessel, powering across the great body of water known
as the Southern Ocean. Dramatic cirrus clouds brought drama and extravagance
to a perfect blue sky. This great ocean, for once calm, shimmered, beautifully
reflecting the sunlight which seemed to dance across its surface.
It was a tranquil scene, one which offered peaceful delight to all present,
but belied the real motive behind my presence at sea.
Shark Cage
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We were heading towards four remote rocks which jut out of the Great Southern
Ocean and are known as the Neptune Islands: home of seals and sea lions and,
most famously, as chief haunt of the great white shark.
Being a wildlife photographer, there are naturally a number of species which
come to mind when one thinks about the ultimate photographic subject. An appreciation
of predators has led me from the plains of the Serengeti following lions to
the steamy jungles of Northern India in search of the majestic tiger, and now
to the rugged coastline of South Australia to fulfil, I hoped, a lifetime’s
ambition of diving with and photographing great white sharks.
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I had joined Rolf Czabayski and organised a four-day, three-night trip on board
his luxurious boat the Calypso Star. Czabayski had once been a big game fisherman
but was now known as a legendary shark wrangler.
Czabayski had sailed this area for almost 25 years and had an encyclopaedic
understanding of its great whites and, most importantly, a knack of luring them
to his boat.
Great whites are solitary, mysterious creatures, ancient nomads of the high
seas. Very little is known about the species except that they are exceedingly
rare. One film crew recently spent ten days at sea and £10 000 without
seeing so much as a distant dorsal fin.
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Of some interest to us is their occasional consumption of human beings. One
of the most horrific attacks on record occurred not far from Adelaide in 1985
when a woman snorkelling in two metres of water was bitten in half in front
of her family. More recently a diver was taken of the South Australian coast.
At 10am, after a three hour journey from Port Lincoln, we arrived at South Neptune
Island and began emptying vast quantities of rancid burley over the side of
the boat. This, along with the two floating tuna baits, would create a scent
trail which any passing great white would find irresistible and, hopefully,
follow to its source.
Patience, as Czabayski continuously told me, is a virtue. However, by five
o’clock, and after seven hours of staring at the sea, my patience had
finally been eroded.
The sun was approaching the western horizon and by now I had written the day
off as a quiet start when, from the stern, came the cry “shark!”
I raced to the back of the boat to find Czabayski almost as excited as I was.
His first words to me – “That is one big bastard!” –
did little to ease my initial concerns about jumping into the water with the
most terrifying creature in the ocean.
My first glimpse of carcharodon carcharias as it slowly circled the boat was
almost fantasy-like.
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Waiting for White Death
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I couldn’t believe that the sea that had seemed so empty, so devoid of
life for seven long hours could suddenly produce such a beast. Like an apparition,
like a grey ghost, the great white shark appears unannounced and apparently,
from nowhere.
Shaft Light
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Mask on and camera in hand I lowered myself gingerly into the cage.
The excitement seemed more concentrated in the alien world of the sea. With
my mask only allowing a 120 degree field of vision, I turned my head frantically
this way and that. Then, out of the deep, emerged the shark. For a moment I
thought I was dreaming as it slowly, confidently approached the cage.
I cowered at the back of the cage as, majestically, it glided by, unable to
summon the courage to take pictures on my first dive. It was a landmark moment,
a sight all who have experienced this dramatic creature could never, ever forget.
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The sharks presence and poise in the water were astonishing, it looked invincible
yet serene, so calm but so potent.
The great white shark is immaculately designed, every feature polished and
perfected by more than 400 million years of evolution. The conical snout, short
and sharp, ergonomically perfect, evolved to slice through water.
The soulless black eyes set in a stout, short head. Razor sharp teeth which
protrude through an almost clown-like grin. Huge pectoral fins, like the wings
of a small jet, balance and steer the shark as it cuts through water. The giant
tail, a powerful propulsion system, a great white’s cruise control.
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My dreams had come true at last. I had shared a small part of the Southern
Ocean with a great white shark.
After twenty minutes in the freezing water I jumped out. Filled with a great
joy, I was unable to stop talking – a common occurrence for those who
have encountered the sharks for the first time.
After my first unforgettable encounter I began to feel more confident in the
cage and entered it at every opportunity. It does take a while, though, before
you feel safe and you realise that the shark is not capable of biting through
steel bars.
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On the Bait
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The following tow days produced two more sharks, one of which even managed
to get his snout through the viewing space cut into the cage! It is an mind-boggling
experience to be inches from the mouth of a great white shark, suspended in
a small cage, in the huge Southern Ocean.
I would encourage anyone who has an interest in diving, sharks and the sea
to observe this beast up close. It will alter you whole outlook on life.
Someone once said that once you have had a close encounter with a great white
shark that the only thing left to experience which could possibly be more thrilling
would be space travel. I would, as I hope you can appreciate through my words
and photographs, most definitely agree.
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This article first appeared in The Courier Mail - May 2002
Contact Rolf Czabayski.
Calypso Star Charter offer four day, three night great white shark trips starting
at $2068 Australian Dollars(£700) plus GST.
www.calypsostarcharter.com.au
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