There are certain activities we do along our trip we know not to tell our parents about until after we’ve experienced them –- cage diving with great white sharks in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean certainly falls into that category.

Our friends Josh and Sarah were gung ho to do this adventure, something that hadn’t really been on our radar mostly because it’s winter here in Cape Town and the oceans are freezing. I can barely handle the temperature of tropical bath water without getting goose bumps, none-the-less the Atlantic Ocean during winter. However, somehow Jason convinced me I should do it!

The ungodly hour of 5 a.m. rolls around and we’re whisked away on our two and a half hour drive to False Bay to begin the adventure; this early hour was set to try and avoid the bad weather that was supposedly rolling in – that’s always a settling thought when you’re about to go out on the high seas to go cage diving with sharks and a storm is impending!

The boat journey was quite choppy, as we barreled over large surges; all four of us required a second dose of Dramamine. It’s at this point, while Jason and I are huddled together for warmth, that Jason looks at me and concedes it’s just way too cold to even think about putting on a wet suit and getting in the water. Gotta love those “I told you so” moments.

I too was apprehensive as the stinky chumm of anchovies and fish guts was being ladled in the water, the bait was being tossed over, several people were blowing chunks over the railing, and low and behold the great whites were beginning to circle – not the most inviting scene. Then, the cage was dropped in and the first divers made their way into the contraption, the thin bars being the only thing separating them from the powerful snapping shark jaws. All four of us at this point began justifying to each other that being on the boat was just as cool as being in the water, and there was no need to risk catching colds in the frigid waters.

Something in us snapped after our little rationalization session, and we decided to put the wetsuits on and just do it. We made the plunge into the freezing water, and immediately my toes went numb from the intense chill. The hardest part in the surging current was ensuring your limbs didn’t slip outside the cage, which we all struggled with as our bodies flailed.

Suddenly we hear “down” yelled and we instantly jumped into action, immersing ourselves in the water to view the sharks directly in front of our eyes. The captain used bait to attract them directly in front of the cage, giving us the most intense, up close image of these powerful creatures. At one point a shark came for the left side of the cage, lodging itself literally inches away from Jason, and even biting off some of the protective foam from the cage (check out the video clip). The last shark of the day just about gave us all a heart attack, categorized as a Beta 2– not exactly sure what that means, except that the experienced captain seemed blown away by its over 14 foot length!

At least we can say we lived to tell the tale . . .