So, this was my childhood dream place…and I finally made it – South Africa, birthplace of the breaching great white sharks! I signed up to do a volunteer position with AVIVA and Marine Dynamics (really great companies, recommended – reference me if you want to sign up for a trip) and do some white shark spotting of my own. Not only was seeing these incredible animals in their natural habitat the top prize, but meeting the people and experiencing the love and beauty of South Africa was such a highlight.

With what little time I had left before my move to New Zealand, I took off on my much awaited adventure.

Take a read of my experience – maybe it will inspire you to make South Africa your next trip!

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After starting off my journey with a red-eye flight from JFK, I came into London with a 10 hour stopover which left me some time to visit the city. After landing, I took the Tube to meet my dad’s good friend Zak at the Ritz. Zak was a great tour guide for the day. We saw EVERY major landmark in London, all the way from Big Ben to a walk across the Tower Bridge. The long walk called for a London pint at one of the oldest pubs, The Anchor. It was a good way to end and recharge for the second leg of my flight. Shout out to Zak for the awesome tour!

After three days of traveling, I finally made it to South Africa, and was lucky enough to fly into Cape Town on a beautiful sunny day, which gave me a great view of Table Mountain, Robin Island, and Lion’s Head.

The first night in Cape Town I went out for a nice dinner on the beach with a few girls I met at the volunteer house. We watched the sunset on the beach and got a some great photos of Table Mountain. The next day I took a trip into the town center on the MyCiti bus (system created as a result of the 2010 World Cup) to visit the Castle of Good Hope. There was a one day special going on at the castle where local vendors and musicians came and set up an upscale bazaar with free champagne refills. That night, we met up with more volunteers from the house and went to Gold restaurant for an authentic 14 course African meal and drumming lesson. It was a good feeling to get back into rhythm and do some African dancing, which I had studied in the past.

The next morning I departed on a three hour journey south to the White Shark capital of the world, Gansbaai. Boy, the drive was so BEAUTIFUL. I loved the city of Cape Town, but I am definitely a country girl at heart. While in Gansbaai, I trained to be a volunteer on the shark cage diving vessel Slashfin with Marine Dynamics. On the boat, we helped the clients with dressing in their wetsuits, learned skills as a deckhand, and helped people through their seasickness while trying to avoid it ourselves. The volunteers got to go in the cage when there was space on the boat. I went in the cage 3 separate times! Wow, what beautiful creatures?! One day we saw 17 different sharks. It was amazing to be in the cage and finally SEE everything you’ve learned reading books and on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. I could see the water flowing over their gills, eyes roll back when they grab the prey, show agitation in behavior, and so much more. Plus, I got to visit the infamous Seal Island and Shark Alley. This is the spot where Shark Week started and breaching Great Whites were discovered. Speaking of, the skipper, Peter, and I were talking on the boat and saw an attempted breach in the distance; a huge shark thrusting its entire body out of the water hunting a seal. What a sight to see?! Marine Dynamics also has a big research component under the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. Their research includes tagging and monitoring of the Great White Shark population, Southern Right Whale conservation, and African Penguin rehabilitation. As volunteers, we also participated in some of the research components. One day, we went on a beach walk to search for shark eggs to assess the population. Another day we found a penguin covered in oil brought up by the rough storms of winter. We learned how to feed the penguin nutrients until it could be washed and visited the penguin rehabilitation center.

There were so many other adventures we had as well; too many to describe, but it was time to go back to Cape Town for a night before catching my flight home. On my last day in Cape Town, myself and two other girls I met in the volunteer program decided to climb Table Mountain. Thankfully, it was an absolutely beautiful day. After a long, VERY uphill, and weathered trial, we finally made it to the summit with some awesome views of the city below and on the cable car ride down. It was a perfect end to a great stay in Africa (Not to mention, the massive amount of exercise helped me to sleep well on the plane).

In the end, South Africa is an absolutely beautiful place physically, but the PEOPLE there are amazing. Yes, the dangers are real (as they are everywhere) and I could see them alive and present while I was there, but there is so much more than that. The people are so loving and apologetic and are always striving to help. My favorite part of the trip was actually visiting one of the Townships (poor community made up of scrap metal shacks). We collected wood and brought it in on a truck where all the people met us and started taking wood to their homes (it is winter in South Africa). The kids then started singing a song they that learn in school which translates to “Fishing for Jesus.” The love and appreciation of the people made it so much more beautiful. God is alive all over the world.

I met a girl who was once a volunteer and turned into a full time research assistant with Marine Dynamics and she said something very true, “that you can’t understand the beauty of the country until you’ve seen it.” I hope by sharing this, that you also see the beauty in South Africa, its people, and its wildlife. I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time and thank you for your support along the way. It is something I have wanted to do for YEARS and I can finally say I’ve visited Africa and the famous Shark Alley. The vibe of Africa resonates with me so much after studying it in history, wildlife, dance and spirit.