30/10/2022
https://linktr.ee/alexanderqkohler
00:00 Boat Ride
00:18 Entering Shark Cage
00:31 Reef Sharks
02:12 Whales
Shark cage diving typically involves diving in heavy metal cages in the cold waters of Gaansbaai in Cape Town, specifically targeting the large Great White Sharks that inhabit that region.
However in the warmer waters of Durban’s Aliwal Shoal, different species of shark can be found on our cage dive like Blacktip sharks, Dusky Sharks, Spinner Sharks, Tiger and Zambezi Sharks. Because these species are smaller than the Great White Shark and their main diet consists of small schooling fish.
Our 4-man stainless steel shark cages are SAMSA approved, designed by an engineer for diver and animal safety. The cage is a concertina, which opens up to width 2.3 m and height 2.4m and breadth of 1m. Our shark diving cages are secured to the boat at all times in accordance with SAMSA requirements.
This is truly an exciting once in a lifetime experience – bond with family, friends or colleagues as you get close up to the many species of shark found at Durban’s Aliwal Shoal.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual; a member of the family Balaenopteridae. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song typically lasting 4 to 33 minutes.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 16,000 km (9,900 mi) each year. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they use bubbles to catch prey. They are promiscuous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales.
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction; its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. While numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species.
The adult humpback whale is generally 14–15 m (46–49 ft), though longer lengths of 16–17 m (52–56 ft) have been recorded. Females are usually 1–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) longer than males.[12] The species can reach body masses of 40 metric tons (44 short tons). Calves are born at around 4.3 m (14 ft) long with a weight of 680 kg (1,500 lb).[13]
The body is bulky with a thin rostrum and proportionally long flippers, each around one-third of its body length.[14][15] It has a short dorsal fin that varies from nearly non-existent to somewhat long and curved. As a rorqual, the humpback has grooves between the tip of the lower jaw and the navel.[12] They are relatively few in number in this species, ranging from 14–35.[14] The mouth is lined with baleen plates, which number 270-400 for both sides.[15]
Unique among large whales, humpbacks have bumps or tubercles on the head and front edge of the flippers; the tail fluke has a jagged trailing edge.[12][15] The tubercles on the head are 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) thick at the base and poke up to 6.5 cm (2.6 in). They are mostly hollow in the center, often containing at least one fragile hair that erupts 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) from the skin and is 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) thick. The tubercles develop early in the womb and may have a sensory function as they are rich in nerves.[16]
The dorsal or upper-side of the animal is generally black; the ventral or underside has various levels of black and white coloration.[12] Whales in the southern hemisphere tend to have more white pigmentation. The flippers can vary from all-white to white only on the undersurface.[13] The varying color patterns and scars on the tail flukes distinguish individual animals.[17][18] The end of the ge***al slit of the female is marked by a round lobe. This lobe visually distinguishes males and females.[15]
