Into The Deep

The Ocean Is a Place of Deep Serenity. It Also Contains Sharks — a Fact That Becomes Glaringly Apparent While Freediving in Cape Town.

“Okay, people. Listen up. A few safety rules,” says Brocq Maxey, an American with blond surfer hair and galaxies of freckles across his nose. He’s standing in the small cabin of the boat like a preacher in a pulpit. The nine of us along for the trip are frantically kitting up: arms are being wrangled into wetsuits, masks are being spat into and weights are being heaved on. I’ve spent the last 10 minutes trying to mash my neoprene-covered feet into the pocket of my fins, corral my fingers into gloves and don the diving hood in such a way that I don’t feel as though I’m in a sensory deprivation tank.

Across from me, my regular dive buddies Keri Muller and Lisa Beasley look like aliens in their wetsuits. This is because, despite Cape Town’s waters often hitting a chilly 12C, we always dive suitless, preferring to feel the water rather then blocking it out. But a blue shark has just been spotted and a prerequisite for getting into its domain is that we wear wetsuits.

“Makos are pretty shy,” Brocq explains. “But if they come up to you, stay still and make eye contact. Same for the blues. They’re curious and use their mouths to investigate. They’ll come up and might try to have a nibble. Engage with them: move towards them, look them in the eye and gently push them away. They’ll swim away and maybe come back for another look. Don’t back off or splash around. And if any skin is exposed, they’ll be even more curious. They’re attracted to light colours.”

I look down at my old wetsuit. It has two pale pink panels running down the sides. Fantastic.