Dive with Great White Sharks

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Cue the theme to Jaws: volunteer travel specialist, i-to-i has launched a new research project for volunteers to help research Great White Sharks in South Africa.

Volunteers are needed to help monitor Great White Sharks and the rest of the ‘Marine Big Five’ – whales, seals, dolphins and penguins – on a new, two-week project based in Kleinbaai, 180km southeast of Cape Town.

The Western Cape is known as the best place in the world to see Great White Sharks in their natural habitat. Working with local ecotourism operators, volunteers will have the chance to see the sharks from both boat-side and from a submerged protective cage.

Their primary task will be to record data and observations on the sharks and other marine animals, learning how to identify individual animals through dorsal fin markings and other measurements. The aim of the project is to collect and collate data to inform efforts to arrest the decline of this threatened species.

Shark education is a prominent part of the project, with lectures by marine biologists, and volunteers will also gain insights into the workings of ecotourism, as they will be assisting the ecotourism operators during their daily shark-viewing tours.
The project cost of $2549 includes airport pickup, orientation, training in ecotourism operations and data collection, 24-hour emergency support, services of an in-country co-ordinator and a contribution to the project. Additional weeks cost $800, up to a maximum of four weeks.

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Tags: Add new tag, Cape Town, Dorsal fin, Fish, Great white shark, Jaws, Marine biology, South Africa, Western Cape

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