Basically most of the dive centres on the coast run it, and it costs about R300 per trip. This includes gear hire if you don't have your own. For me that helped, except I've never done any snorkelling or diving so first time round I got my wetsuit on backwards. Oh and a bit of advice, give the shortie a miss, full wetsuit is the way to go because your knees will burn in the sun. Also take a shirt you don’t mind getting wet to drape over your feet, because they will bake in the flippers in the sun. That’s my advice but please don’t let it put you off, it’s just a precaution to make sure you come out of the experience loving every second. Oh and if you suffer from seasickness, let the dive centre know, they will dose you with Dramamine; I didn’t take it and suffered.
What happens next is the most fun, after your briefing (much like a dive you are briefed, after all the point is to observe, enjoy and do it all without causing the environment any damage) and collecting all your gear, you walk out to the boat and the fun begins, if you’re short try stay at the back of the boat for the launch or else you end up dangling in the air as the break pushes the nose of the boat up. Once you’re out into the swell its also easier from the back as you’re in slightly shallower waters still and that makes jumping into the boat a bit easier.
This is when your real adventure begins (for first time snorkelling or diving the launch itself becomes a bit of an adventure too). You start jetting off into the ocean, with a man on an umpires chair, and he’s the man who finds the whale sharks for you. There is a skipper on the boat and a dive instructor who helps you out when you need it. For the most part the adventure is just seeing the scenery and jetting off around the ocean.
The big fun, and the whole point of the exercise is spotting your whaleshark. Usually the “umpire” is the person who spots them, the boat stops, your dive master advises you to put on your gear (I recommend spitting in your mask, using sea water usually ends up with stinging eyes from the salt water- ouch!) and you hop in. I personally had some trouble keeping up with the shark; you won’t believe how quickly it moves. When everyone has had their fill of this shark, the boat circles round, and they pick you up. For those who’ve never re-entered a boat, hold onto the boat, bob up and down like you would getting out of a swimming pool, spread your legs and at the same time you pull up, kick them together and that should have enough propulsion to get you in the boat. And again, WEAR A WETSUIT. I have two navel piercings and they would have ripped straight out were it not for that wetsuit.
And then the process of tracking another shark starts again. After about 90min they start the journey home. And yes, they do run the boat aground on a sandbank, hold on, chances are you’ll get whiplash if you don’t. and then the fun of dragging the boat ashore starts. Keep your wetsuit fully zipped up and on, if possible. Don’t take the top part off, because the arms will get wet, weigh you down, and if you’re short like me, help drag you into the current. But I did find a solution to that, I sat on the sandbank, peeled my suit off in the water, threw it over my shoulder and walked back up to the centre.
And I think, that’s all there is to a whaleshark safari :) any questions?