Thursday, May 24, 2007

Shark infested waters....

"I can smell the damn sardine - but where the hell is it??" Black Tip Galore
If you are a hard core shark diver, then you'll find nothing more exciting than being right in the middle of a pack of 40-50 Black Tip sharks (carcharhinus limbatus) feeding on bait. The Tiger shark dive trips in Aliwal Shoal (South Africa) have the added bonus of getting you tons of these friendly, totally non-aggressive sharks, sized between 5 and almost 7 ft.

Marcus of the incredible Blue Wilderness Team LOVES to throw smelly sardines onto the snorkeling divers to make completely sure that the Black Tips get VERY close and personal. The sharks don't care about you, they just care about getting the sardines, and might touch, even hit you with their tails in the process. So, when you are among them during lunchtime, never mind their teeth - just be sure to watch out for their tails... :-)

When I first saw the Black Tips I thought: Gosh, how boring are these sharks compared to the majestic tigers... After a short while, though, I began to really like the Limbatus, and was looking forward to seeing them again along with the tigers. Now, being back home, I miss these cool, playful sharks just as much as I miss the big striped ones....

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