The Western Cape is a veritable playground for divers, with warm crystal-clear blue waters offshore and thriving kelp forests dotted along the coast. Together, these rich waters host numerous sharks. Whether you want to go diving with great white sharks, blue sharks, makos or ancient sevengill sharks, South Africa’s Western Cape has it all and more.
Read MoreMako sharks have fascinated divers and shark fans for many years. But having recently been listed as endangered, will we still be able to dive with them in years to come? And more importantly, what will happen if we lost these vital apex predators for good?
The Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently announced that both the Shortfin and Longfin Mako shark are now classified as Endangered.
Previously listed as Vulnerable, they have been downgraded to Endangered and are now officially at risk of going extinct.
As an apex predator, mako sharks play a vital role in sustaining the health of ocean ecosystems.
They are one of the most efficient hunters of all shark species and eat mostly bony fish such as tuna, mackerel, swordfish, plus cephalopods, other sharks, porpoises, sea turtles and sea birds.
They control the populations of those species they feed on – ensuring ocean food webs remain in balance and no single population gets out of control.
Apex predators also feed on vulnerable prey, such as old, injured and sick animals; which leaves more food for the healthy prey animals to survive on.
Prey populations explode in numbers when you remove apex predators such as mako sharks. As those prey populations increase unchecked, the prey animals they feed upon then decrease and eventually collapse.
What happens then? The prey populations that boomed in the first place have nothing to feed on and also eventually collapse.
In short, oceanic food webs collapse and ocean biodiversity is lost.
Apex predators prevent that cycle from occurring by keeping prey numbers balanced and under control at all times. They improve the health of ocean ecosystems and ensure marine biodiversity is sustained for all.
shark diving
If we act now, it is not too late to save mako sharks. The latest news on mako shark conservation is cause for hope:
The EU is facing pressure to announce catch quotas for mako sharks in its waters.
Numerous sharks and rays, including makos, are being proposed for listing at the next meeting of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in late May 2019.
Don’t purchase products made from sharks.
Use sustainable seafood guides online to ensure the fish you eat doesn’t have bycatch*
*Bycatch commonly includes sharks and marine mammals.
“Whale sharks are the largest species of shark and can grow to over 12 meters long, weighing in at a huge 21 tonnes. They are found at a variety of top diving destinations and are an easy shark to swim with, making them popular with divers and snorkelers alike.Find out more in my latest article.”
Read my latest article for Dive In: Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
“Plonger avec des requins reste une activité populaire et très recherchée vers certaines destinations de plongée populaires du globe. Bien que le risque d’être blessé par un requin en plongée soit incroyablement faible, il existe des précautions que les plongeurs et les personnes nageant en présence de requins peuvent prendre pour augmenter leur sécurité et profiter de leur plongée avec des requins.”
En vedette sur Savoir Plonger: 10 conseils pour plonger en toute sécurité avec les requins
“Hammerhead sharks are one of the easiest sharks to identify, thanks to their hammer-shaped heads, and are a great species of shark to dive with. They can be found at a variety of top dive destinations including Cocos Island off Costa Rica, Malepelo Island in Colombia, and the Galápagos Islands.Divers can also enjoy hammerhead encounters while scuba diving Rasdhoo Atoll in the Maldives, Lombok in Indonesia, French Polynesia, the Red Sea and Egypt, the Bahamas, and Morovo Lagoon in the Solomon Islands.”
Read my latest article for Dive Magazine UK The Nine Known Species of the Most Recognisable Shark to find out more.
“Divers are spoiled for choice in Fiji, where a wealth of dive sites await. Some of the best are in the Yasawa Islands, which number around 20. They are volcanic, featuring dramatic peaks rising up to 1,900 feet (600 m) with similarly dramatic topography underwater.
Most of the islands have fringing reefs with walls, gullies, swim-throughs and caves to explore. Divers are likely to see manta rays, numerous sharks, tropical fish and pristine coral reefs. The diving on these uncrowded and peaceful islands is suitable for all experience levels. To get there, choose from a handful of options for liveaboard diving.”
Read my latest article for Scuba Diver Life Scuba Diving in Fiji's Yasawa Islands to find out more.
Featured on SportDiver:It's a tough choice but will you be supporting the sharks or orcas this Shark Week??https://www.sportdiver.com/shark-week-2018-team-shark-team-orca
Featured on DeeperBlue:Whilst some people have concerns that baited shark dives can impact natural shark behaviors, shark diving can be done responsibly with minimal impacts on the sharks. It is also a valuable yet underappreciated conservation tool that contributes to the protection of sharks and the ocean in a variety of ways.Find out more in my article The Role of Shark Diving in Conservation.
It's Shark Week! I'm honoured to be kicking off the celebrations on Scuba Diver Life with my article World's Top 20 Shark Dives."Shark Week 2018 is upon us. And to honor our favorite apex predators, Scuba Diver Life is going to publish content all week focused exclusively on sharks, from a shark-tooth identification quiz, to which shark-conservation organizations you should support with your time and money. But since divers are most eager to actually get in the water with sharks, here’s our definitive list of the world’s top 20 shark dives."
Featured on DeeperBlue:July is all about sharks, with Shark Week returning on 22nd July, Shark Awareness Day, and the popular SharkCon event starting on 14th July. It’s a great time of year for divers to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of sharks, both at home and in the water. With shark dives suitable for all experience levels, there is something for everyone to enjoy.https://www.deeperblue.com/5-great-shark-dives-for-novice-divers/
