Fish are friends, not food
Oh my so much to tell so little energy left in fingers. In short - press day went fine this week, London was ok last week and it's getting sunnier. So much for news updates.
Now for more interesting things. This is a sight you don't want to meet you when you stick your head under water on a family snorkelling trip.
But it was exactly what happened to my sister and I this week when we went on a shark safari. Seriously cool animals.
Not so cool was I, however, when heading out to sea. A bit orange, maybe? Wonder what Anna Wintour would say. Nothing - she'd probably faint. Well, at least the sharks would have a clear site of me if I fell in. Let's say that, upon entering 'shark alley', a lifejacket does not seem like such a comfort.
Not that you look much better in the water, in full freediving gear, as my sister so kindly models on this picture. It was freezing cold - about 14 degrees in the water. We stayed in for almost an hour, as you can tell by the colour (or lack thereof) of Sister's lips.
The smell at the back of the boat was unbearable, and that was not just due to seasick passengers but because of this 'bait'. Together with some disgusting rotting Tuna chunks in a drum that would spread out downwind of the boat like a shiny red carpet for sharks these would lure the sharks close enough to the boat for us to see them through the murky water.
At first, nothing happened. Then we changed anchoring site. And then, within minutes, a massive shadow was sighted trailing up our 'chum slick' at a leisurely pace. It had a go at the bait, then disappeared as we hurried on our wetsuits. As Sister and I lowered ourselves into the cage, a metre in front a massive grey body was playing havoc with the bait.
Needless to say, we entered the cage rapidly. However, once in there it was difficult to fight the buoyancy of the suits, which in turn made it hard to keep all appendages inside the cage. If a shark had wanted to, I think it would have been able to grab my left arm on at least three occasions.
In the end, we saw 7 sharks. Seven great whites in two hours! Most of them teenagers, around 3 metres. They grow to double that size. The maximum count in one day that they've had is 37. However, 7 is apparently very good. "It doesn't get better than this" the marine biologists who was our guide said.
Funnily enough, that same night I met a surfer who has just quit after 8 years catching the waves because a great white had tried to push him off his board just two weeks ago. "When they attack, their whole bodies just start to shiver," he said. Safe on the shore, he swore off surfing, deciding that he'd had his good innings and was starting to push his luck. Can't blame him, having seen these...
Now for more interesting things. This is a sight you don't want to meet you when you stick your head under water on a family snorkelling trip.
But it was exactly what happened to my sister and I this week when we went on a shark safari. Seriously cool animals.
Not so cool was I, however, when heading out to sea. A bit orange, maybe? Wonder what Anna Wintour would say. Nothing - she'd probably faint. Well, at least the sharks would have a clear site of me if I fell in. Let's say that, upon entering 'shark alley', a lifejacket does not seem like such a comfort.
Not that you look much better in the water, in full freediving gear, as my sister so kindly models on this picture. It was freezing cold - about 14 degrees in the water. We stayed in for almost an hour, as you can tell by the colour (or lack thereof) of Sister's lips.
The smell at the back of the boat was unbearable, and that was not just due to seasick passengers but because of this 'bait'. Together with some disgusting rotting Tuna chunks in a drum that would spread out downwind of the boat like a shiny red carpet for sharks these would lure the sharks close enough to the boat for us to see them through the murky water.
At first, nothing happened. Then we changed anchoring site. And then, within minutes, a massive shadow was sighted trailing up our 'chum slick' at a leisurely pace. It had a go at the bait, then disappeared as we hurried on our wetsuits. As Sister and I lowered ourselves into the cage, a metre in front a massive grey body was playing havoc with the bait.
Needless to say, we entered the cage rapidly. However, once in there it was difficult to fight the buoyancy of the suits, which in turn made it hard to keep all appendages inside the cage. If a shark had wanted to, I think it would have been able to grab my left arm on at least three occasions.
In the end, we saw 7 sharks. Seven great whites in two hours! Most of them teenagers, around 3 metres. They grow to double that size. The maximum count in one day that they've had is 37. However, 7 is apparently very good. "It doesn't get better than this" the marine biologists who was our guide said.
Funnily enough, that same night I met a surfer who has just quit after 8 years catching the waves because a great white had tried to push him off his board just two weeks ago. "When they attack, their whole bodies just start to shiver," he said. Safe on the shore, he swore off surfing, deciding that he'd had his good innings and was starting to push his luck. Can't blame him, having seen these...
posted by Linda at 15:21
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