Chapman’s Peak Drive is a 9km route between Noordhoek and Hout Bay in South Africa, about 15 km from Cape Town. There are 114 curves along this stretch of the Atlantic coast on the south-western tip of Africa. There are several stops along the way where you can pause and enjoy the scenery.
I have been on a some stunning drives such as the Sea to Sky highway from Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver
area) to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada and the Grand Pacific Drive from Sydney to Wollongong in Australia. I have to say that Chapman’s Peak Drive was the most spectacular thus far.
This photo was taken in panorama mode on my iPhone 4s. Click the photo below for a larger view.
I came face to face with JAWS (cue the music) and lived to tell. Jaws (the movie) scared the bejeezus out of me, but for some reason, I have been fascinated with sharks for as long as I can remember, especially the Great White Shark.
Over the years, I’ve watched many episodes about them during Shark Week. I knew there were Great White Sharks in South Africa, but until recently I did not know you could get up close to them.
After much research, I chose to go with Great White Shark Tours (GWST) in Gansbaai, South Africa. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Cape Town and well worth it. The transfer company picked me up at the hostel I stayed at, The Backpack, and on the way, we stopped in Hermanus for some stretching. I saw a southern right whale and it’s calf from the shore.
My shark diving experience was a dream come true. I wish I could have gotten more underwater video with my Go Pro Hero 2. At the same time, I was happy to be present and be in the moment. Though you are in the same water as the sharks and only mere feet away, I felt very safe inside the cage.
It was absolutely incredible to be so close to these white sharks and it was actually calming. I compare it to watching a tank of fish swimming by. They didn’t even seem like they cared about us at all. If it weren’t for the chum and the workers on the boat trying to attract them, they probably wouldn’t have even approached us at all.
One of my favourite moments was when I was on the deck near the rail, and we were splashed by a Great White. Another favourite moment was when a shark was right beside the cage. The shark could not get any closer except to be inside the cage. It was so close that I moved back as far as I could as I thought it’s fin was going to touch me, but it missed me by inches.
Here are 2 photos I got with my iPhone from the boat.
Until next time,
Andrea… and my wandering iPhone
Great White Shark off Dyer Island, South Africa
Great White Shark off Dyer Island aka Shark Alley, South Africa
