Running the Gauntlet
Posted By Jeff Ayliffe on 7 July 2006
Just 35 minutes from Capetown, along the Falsebay coast, lies the beautiful naval town of Simonstown. The nearby region supports a variety of traditional fishing boats, along with the colourful characters who seem to always be an integral part of any fishing community.
The quaint coffee shops and stores of Simonstown bustle with locals and tourists, and one cannot escape the laidback holiday feel which hangs in the fresh sea air. Each morning, as the first signs of pre-dawn light cast up from behind the Hottentots Holland mountains on the far side of the bay, the small fishing fleet can be seen leaving for the mornings run. The scene is tranquil.
And each morning, as that night sky starts to show the first hint of colour, one of the most spectacular animal contests anywhere, prepares to play itself out around a small Island about 35 minutes offshore. It's called Seal Island, and for those interested in Great Whites, it is a unique...and very special place.
On friday morning, my alarm went off at 4:30 am, and within 30 minutes I had showered, eaten, grabbed my camera, and was enroute to Simonstown for a dream trip. I had been invited to go out with Chris and Monique Fallows of Apex Shark Expeditions. The husband and wife team have recorded over 900 trips to Seal island, as well as having visited all well know White Shark sites around the world. The famous White Shark breaching photographs of Chris Fallows are legendary with marine lovers worldwide, and the couple have worked on countless television documentaries, including Air Jaws 1 and 2. As impressive as the statistics are, the most noticeable quality is their love and passion for these beautiful animals.
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Before first light, the 2 big Suzuki motors were powering out of the Simonstown harbour, and apart from a small swell, conditions were close to perfect. I was unable to stop smiling as the cold, pre-dawn wind and salt spray added to the excitement of my long awaited dream of travelling to Seal island with Chris and Monique Fallows. 8 nautical miles away, the first groups of seals were preparing to run the gauntlet from the Island to their own hunting grounds, as they do every day. And just off the island, patrolling deep, watching, and waiting for the run to begin, were the Great White sharks, as they do every day.
The sky over the far mountains was a beautiful pink as we arrived, the peace was eerie, almost unnatural in view of the events that were to be unfolding. An instant so sudden, about 100 meters off the starboard bow, a muffled spash, and blur of birds. Only Chris had picked it up, a White Shark had hit a Gannet, mistaking it for a seal, and the bird lay stunned on the surface. It was very lucky to survive.
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