Shark Zone News & Updates
World Record holder 'Ocean Adventurer' enters the Shark Zone
The world-famous power vessel 'Ocean Adventurer' has settled into a new berth and is now ready to take on a new challenge - the Great White Shark.
The Great White is a formidable creature (being the largest, meat-eating shark) and often grows to lengths of up to 20 feet. Interestingly, sharks are one of the few species on earth that have changed very little since their first origins about 64 million years ago. Despite this, very little is really understood about the behaviour and habits of the mighty apex predator.
What is known is that Great Whites frequent a narrow channel dubbed "Shark Alley" that lies between Dyer & Geyser Islands on the Southern tip of South Africa. Home to a vast population of seals, jackass penguins and a wide variety of sea birds, the islands provide ideal feeding conditions for sharks and it is one of the few places in the world where this can be successfully observed via cage diving.
Stephen Frank, owner of Shark Zone is thrilled that our customers will be able to cage dive from such an epic boat and believes that it will enhance the Shark experience greatly. "The speed of Adventurer means we can spend longer with the sharks as it shortens the journey time to Dyer Island, plus the facilities on board are unparalleled in the industry for commercial cage diving".
Seven Gilled Cow Shark
One of the things I love about Cape Town and especially about diving in Cape Town, is that you never know what you will see next, a little like the Cape Town LiveIt-LoveIt newsletter really! Look what popped up yesterday...
Tonic Immobility
Tonic immobility is a natural state of “death-like” paralysis that animals enter, usually when faced with a deadly threat. It is believed to be an attempt in self preservation but some scientists believe it is related to mating in certain animals, like the shark.
Tonic immobility in a shark is achieved in a different way. When appropriately stroking the shark’s nose it reacts by falling into a state of what appears to be pleasurable relaxation. Some sharks, such as lemon and reef sharks, can be placed into this type of immobility and remain in a state of paralysis for an average of fifteen minutes before full recovery.
Sharks are known to have extraordinary powers of perception; their eyesight is excellent, they can feel vibrations along the lateral line that runs the whole length of their body, and they have unusual sense organs on their noses, known as the ampullae of Lorenzini. This cluster of sensory pits around their snouts is connected directly to the brain and is able to sense electromagnetic fields.
Be on the look-out for Great Whites
Just 24 hours after a shark warning, a bather has gone missing from Fish Hoek beach.
Cape Town Disaster Management issued a statement yesterday to be on the lookout for great white sharks which traditionally cruise this stretch of the coast at this time of year.
"The appearance of white sharks is normal during peak summer months in Cape Town near in-shore areas, as these sharks are known to hunt and feed [on local seals] along this stretch of coastline " spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said on Tuesday.
Read more after the jump ....
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