Incorporating Volunteer Work into Retirement

Part 2 - Volunteering in Shark Alley - October 2023 - Gaansbai, S. Africa

I was 6 years old when Jaws came out. I had to wait until Jaws 2 to see the film in the movie theatre. But the opening scene. The heart pounding musical score by the soon to be super famous John Williams. It got every child of my generation scared of the beach and the water. Who wanted to go into the ocean where there were man eating sharks. By the mid 1980's shark mania was dying down.

Something was happening in the waters. Shark sightings and attacks were dropping. In July 1988, Discovery Channel premiered its first Shark Week. The week-long series of shark related programs was originally dedicated to the conservation and correcting the misnomers around sharks. Fear became fascination about these misunderstood apex predators.

My love of ocean conservation started in the 1990's when volunteering at the New England Aquarium in Boston. I spent time learning about turtles and penguins for my weekly talks. The extremely endangered northern right whales became an easy talking point on the whale watch boats. But something else was happening in the 1990's off the New England coast. The return of the seal population followed by the great white sharks so close to Martha's Vineyard (the real-life location of the fictional town of Amity Island in Jaws).

In 2000 Discovery Channel needed to revive Shark Week. It premiered a weekend long series of new programming including Air Jaws. We've all seen the poster. A huge Great White Shark leaping out of the water swatting a seal by Dyer Island and Seal Island, South Africa. It became must see tv for us shark nerds.

Fast forward 20 years. I had booked a safari that ended in South Africa. Those images of whites leaping into the air had stayed with me. Through a quick internet search, I realized that Gaansbai, the gateway to Shark Alley, was a mere 2 hours' drive south of Cape Town. Light bulbs clicked. I knew I had to volunteer on shark conservation.

Adjacent to Dyer Island is Geyser Rock where a colony of 60 000 Cape Fur Seals breed. The strip of sea between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is aptly dubbed 'Shark Alley', as the seals who feed here are a constant food source to the sharks. During the winter months (May - August), the alley is particularly a hub of activity when many young seal pups end up as easy, juicy shark meals. The area around Dyer Island and Shark Alley is ideal for shark cage diving and provides excellent sightings of shark breaching and predation. https://sharkwatchsa.com/en/the-area/dive-area/

I went on the volunteer world website and searched shark conservation South Africa. Over 10 organizations popped up. I was able to narrow it down to two placements. Both checked all my boxes. One was shark and whale research one was shark research only. Wanting to get out of my comfort zone I chose Shark and Marine Institute for the three weeks. https://www.volunteerworld.com/en/volunteer-program/shark-marine-research-institute-in-south-africa-ganbaai

Logistics:

I was in constant contact with Megan and Sophie at the shark and marine Institute over the next 8 months to make sure I had all the required gear, supplies and transportation needs. They arranged the first night stay in a hostel and pickup times with the transportation van. On site I was warmly welcomed by Megan who showed me around, explained the volunteer responsibilities and introduced me to the boat crew.

Responsibilities:

Each day, weather permitting, there were two cage diving boats trips. https://www.sharkcagedive.com/. Volunteer mainly recorded data including water temp, visibility, gps coordinates), photographed dorsal fins for ID or recorded shark sightings. We also had a chance to cage dive, a highlight of any trip. When not on the boats we could help out in a school, walk the tidal pools collecting shark and ray casings, cataloging dorsal fins. Usually, the responsibilities lasted 6 hours 5-6 days a week. Plenty of down time but be prepared for early mornings.

Shark Misnomers:

As I mentioned earlier, this area off the coast of S. Africa is named Shark Alley. However there has been a dramatic reduction of great white sightings since 2017. I highly recommend reading this article to learn more about the decline of sharks off the coast of South Africa. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Sara on several occasions during my three week stay. https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2021-01-19-why-great-white-sharks-are-disappearing-from-south-africas-coastline/

Accommodations and meals:

The volunteer house was amazing. It was two stories: each floor having two bedrooms and a full kitchen. I was lucky to have a room to myself but there is another bed (when there are more volunteers) with views overlooking the ocean. Main food staples were supplied to make breakfast and lunch. Dinner we could cook or head to the restaurant down the road. Once a week there is a complimentary group dinner.

Free time:

Having free time during your volunteer experience is extremely important. One day we went whale watching in Hermanus know as a calving ground for Southern Right Whales. Another day we went to a spa. The local pub hosts trivia night every other week. There were wine tasting events, road trips to see the penguin colony etc. If you stayed for four weeks then the highlight was a trip down the garden route. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/partner-content-ultimate-road-trip-garden-route

I really enjoyed my time volunteering with shark and marine Institute. The responsibilities were varied and there were only two other volunteers during my stay. Every time I saw the whale watch boats, there was a what if moment but working with leading scientists in shark research and conservation is something I will never forget.

Stay tuned for Part 3 and what it was like walking with lions...