The very best pic

This morning I slept in until 4:30.
That would be A.M.

I am no longer feeling any effects of jet lag (or of the meds from the trip) except the sleep issue; I stay awake just fine during the day, even at work.  And I crash around 10:00 p.m.  Sure enough, I'm awake by 4:30 every morning.

If I could just sustain this level of energy, I would be a very productive person.  I give it until Thursday and I'll be dragging myself out of bed around 6:00.

So I'll just blog since I've been dying to show you the best picture ever.

Here it is:

That cage?  G IS IN IT.

I'm waiting for National Geographic to call and offer me a job.

Sooooo, the Great White Sharks.  The shark cage was one of the first things we did in South Africa, located about 2 hours from Capetown.

These are the winter months in South Africa (actually, while we were there, they began the spring season) and the water is very cold.  All people getting into the cage must wear a 7 mm wet suit.  As it happens, I decided to opt out of the cage.  Believe it or not, I didn't decide this out of fear, but more out of practicality.  I was expecting the water to be murky, and it really was.  I didn't want to wrestle myself into a wet suit and endure the freezing water just to get a view of one tooth or something.

So, I had a come to Jesus moment and decided, that's it, I'm out.

And I'm very, very glad I made that decision.  I was able to go to the top of the little boat, have a seat, keep my balance through the wild swells, and snap away.

The cage is attached to the boat and five adults go in at one time.

G's view from inside the cage.

Here are some pics from the boat:

The Jaws references abounded.  Hollywood has no borders.  The small boat held about twenty tourists and they were from all over.  There was a handful of Americans, some Brits, some Germans, and some others.  Language barrier?  What language barrier?  People were like, WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT.

Compared to sharks we have seen before in Hawaii, Great Whites are much different.  Obviously they are bigger.  The ones we saw ranged anywhere from 8 feet to about 15 feet.  I would say that most of them fell within the 12 foot range.

I asked the boat captain about their size and he said that they range from like 2-4 meters.  Which means nothing to me.  I was like, you guys and your metric system.  Feet!  How long are they in feet?!  I'm sure they love Americans.

He said that these were the, and I quote, "Little Guys."

Other types of sharks we have seen will sort of linger around the boat and the cage.  They are not fed and they are not baited; but sharks are curious and have incredible senses, so if you make a lot of noise and throw some yummy fish bits in the water, they'll come check it out.

Great Whites, though, don't stay around for long.  Perhaps five to seven seconds, tops?  That's why my claim-to-fame picture is so miraculous; it's so hard to tell from these still shots how quickly the sharks were moving.  I would hold the camera in front of my chin and not even bother to look through the peephole; I would watch the shark so I could enjoy it and basically shoot pics as fast as I could at random.

For all of our jokes about being crazy to get in the cage (G) or wanting to see them up close, they really are marvelous.  They are the perfect killing machine and efficient in every way.  Their design and their capabilities amaze me and I'm so, so glad we were able to experience them up close.

In trying to attract sharks to the boat, I figure it is smart to do exactly the opposite if you ever find yourself in the water and want to avoid them.  Basically, don't bleed.  Don't make abrupt splashes or movements.  Stay quiet and stay still.

We're gonna need a bigger boat.