Dave Caravias
I have since a boy been fascinated with Great White Sharks and sharks in general and like most this was because of the movie Jaws. The movie caused the decimation of the Great White Shark population which sparked a hype in trophy hunting but fortunately in recent times this has turned the full circle and eco-tourism and protection is at the forefront of people's minds. I came over to South Africa in 2000 and one of the first things I wanted to do is to see Great White Shark! Little did I know at the time that this triggered a series of events which would lead me to move to Gansbaai, quit my job and build a tourism company with my wife based on Shark diving.
I studied photography in school and loved it but never considered taking a camera underwater until I started diving in 2000. I was an international swimmer as a kid and love the water so it was a breeze to adapt to diving. My 3rd dive was a night dive and 5th dive was a baited tiger shark dive and I realised then that I was made for the water and to be with sharks. My company www.sharkbookings.com specialises in booking people on shark dives in South Africa and I cover Durban and Cape Town for Great White sharks, Blue sharks, Mako Sharks, 7 Gill Cow Sharks, Ragged Tooth sharks and Black Tip Sharks. As I am based in Gansbaai I am in my prime with the Great White Sharks and try to get out as much as possible in the winter months to photograph the Great White Sharks when the visibility is good and lots of sharks are around. Each day out on the boat is different with new Great White sharks each day with different personalities depending on the conditions at sea. Some days the sharks are very relaxed and others they are aggressive and feisty but each shark and day is very different making photography a challenge especially if you want to get up close to them. I have had 4 attempted breaches on my camera and many near misses but fortunately (touch wood) I have managed to keep the camera out of the shark's mouths.
My wife Elna owns www.scubamozambique.com and specialises in dive holidays to Mozambique to dive with the Whale Sharks and Mantas. Each year we go up to Mozambique for at least a month to dive with the sharks and explore new business opportunities. Mozambique is spoilt with excellent Whale Shark and Manta activity and this is an amazing destination for large animals.
We have a Guesthouse in Gansbaai (The Roundhouse Guesthouse) as well as a booking office (The Great White Adventure Centre) and a shop selling shark diving merchandise (Shark Alley). We are totally engrossed in the industry and I am in my element being involved in the greatest industry in the world! The Shark diving industry!!!
