- Location: Joubertsdam
- Temperature: 16.2 C + 16.6 C
- Depth: 9.5m + 7.7m
- Visibility: 2m + 2m
- Conditions: Overcast with a bumpy sea.
There was a layer of overcast cloud as we set out this morning to our dive site in the Shallows. While it was smooth sailing on our way there, once we arrived the swell turned out to be rather bumpy. However, this did not deter the copper sharks which quickly arrived. Our divers were amazed by the activity of these sharks. Soon a Cape fur seal came around to visit as well. Some of our divers saw a short-tailed stingray, the largest stingray species in the world, as well as an infrequent visitor to our waters, the seven-gill shark. With an amazing diversity of species, our divers and guests (even those who were seeing a bit green) had an amazing time on the boat.
Our second trip today was full of surprises!! With the copper sharks in full force from the get go, the crew spotted the 7 Gill Cowshark again! We had some stunning passes from this graceful shark in the midst of the copper sharks and the Cape fur seal. The seven gill cowshark is a very interesting species, sometimes found to be hunting small pinnipeds like the cape fur seals. With a maximum length of just over 3m, they also get to an impressive size. The individual we spotted today was most lilet around the 1.3-1.5m mark, so most likely a juvenile to sub-adult. It was incredible to see this shark up close and personal! What a day! With our divers very happy with all the shark activity as well as a short-tailed stingray, we hardly had time to take a break in watching the water today. The overcast weather from this morning seemed to disappear as well with sunshine on the way back into the harbour.
