Pete Dryden inside the cage from which tourists will be
able to see great white sharks off Stewart Island. Photo by
Stephen Jaquiery.
Two Dunedin men are ready to dip caged tourists into
Foveaux Strait to allow them get up close and personal with the
predator at the top of the ocean's food chain - the great white
shark.
Great White Southern Dive co-owner Pete Dryden said he had
been down in the cage three times and had seen great white
sharks each time.
Five of the massive fish swam around the 2m-high aluminium
cage on his first dive, much to his amazement.
The experience of seeing sharks "with heads the size of the
end of a 44-gallon-drum" close up was incredible, the former
paua diver said.
"It's pretty awesome. It's something you can't describe.
They're amazing."
Co-owner Peter Scott said since completion of the cage in
January, it had been used by a Department of Conservation
marine ecologist to tag great white sharks in the Southern
Ocean.
It had also been used by NHNZ for 10 days to film a
documentary on great whites.
Mr Scott said the $4500 cage had been tested extensively to
make sure it would keep out the sharks.
He was now ready to take public ecotours in Foveaux Strait.
Cages used in South Africa and South America had taken a
hammering from aggressive great whites, but Mr Scott said
those living in southern waters were comparatively placid and
inquisitive.
"I think it's because they are not hungry. There's plenty of
food for them to eat around Stewart Island.
"Cages dropped in South Africa and South Australia have had
their air hoses chomped through by the sharks. But our cage
is indestructible because it sits just below the surface by
the boat."
Sharks are lured near the cage by fish oil thrown into the
water.
Mr Scott said when he first began the project, it was
difficult to know whether it would work.
The biggest issue was what fish tourists would see, and how
many tourists would want to see it, he said.
"The dives so far have produced pretty good results. They
have exceeded our expectations."
Depending on the tours' popularity, members of the public
could charter a dive in the cage for about $500 per person,
per day, Mr Scott said.
The cage would hold up to four people at once: three tourists
and one safety diver.
"Being up close and personal is a thrill. It's such a unique
experience. You definitely wouldn't do it without a cage."
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