Shark Volunteer Stories

Frank Heinen joined our volunteer programme in August and September. A little bit about Frank: I currently live in Roermond, a medium-sized (at least to Dutch standards) city in Limburg, the most southern province of the country. I have bachelor's degrees in ancient and contemporary political history and a master's degree in contemporary political history. I am a (freelance) reporter and writer, specialized in stories on history, nature and politics. From early childhood on nature and animals has been a lifelong passion. I'm especially captivated by terrestrial predators, reptiles & amphibians, birds of prey, ungulates, cetaceans and of course sharks. The great white shark ranks highly among my favourite animals. The mystery that still surrounds this animal, the power and grace of the great white, a truly intriguing animal.
Here Frank shares his last observations with us.
The dreaded moment finally arrived: my last day amongst the magnificent great white sharks of Gansbaai. But what a fine last trip it turned out to be. Some beautiful sharks and a couple of fabulous displays of shark behavior. My last trip ended on a high note, when a very feisty shark grabbed the bait only a couple of inches from the cage and the boat. She even said goodbye with a big slap from her tail, leaving David and me covered in a wet and salty cloud of ocean spray. Luckily, David managed to get some good pictures of various dorsal fins today, very important information for research purposes. Saying goodbye to South Africa, the many inspiring people I met during my stay in Gansbaai and off course to the stunningly beautiful great whites was not easy. In the end the experience even superseded the already high expectations I had before I came to South Africa and highlighted - both on a personal and a collective level (as human beings) - the importance of shark conservation and the protection of all the other pristine ecosystems that planet earth still harbours. I would like to thank (in no specific order) all my fellow volunteers, Julia, Andreas, Rene, Charmaine, Andy, Jane, Gerald, Grant, Mandla, Maoli, Shaun, Abraham, Liz, David and all the other great people I met. Thanks for making me feel at home instantly and making all of this possible. Keep up the good work and hopefully we will meet again in the nearby future.