Sharks or no sharks on Protea Banks?

Unfortunately certain individuals in Umkomaas (Aliwal Shoal) are spreading false rumours that there aren't any sharks anymore on Protea Banks, which has almost led to a cancellation of a large booking for this weekend. Luckily we were able to convince the operator that the rumours are not true. It looks like there are a few elements out there that appear to be jealous with regards to our professionally run business and subsequent success even in troubled times. Instead of using a good thing for their own benefit, they try to destroy business for everybody.

People need to know that a few individuals cannot be trusted against a list of countless dive reports posted on http://www.tauchernet and similar forums by divers who have been on Protea Banks and seen for themselves how many sharks there really are. People need to develop a common sense which helps eveybody to make up his or her own mind. To think for themselves, to find out the truth by asking the pertinent people, the pertinent questions and finally break away from believing every bit of malicious nonsense they are fed.

How could there be no more sharks on Protea Banks ? How long could I, Roland Mauz, lie to the public before the entire international diving community would cry out? How could I keep all the divers who dived Protea Banks forever quiet and even persuade some to put lies on the internet? How could there be fishing on Protea Banks without sharks? Where would the gamefish be?

The truth behind this nonsense is that there are certain tour operators as well as individuals who are not welcome to dive with me for various reasons - when asked, I am absolutely happy to name them and share my reasons for not having their business; just send me an e-mail. Being the only dive operator on Protea Banks, they go out of their ways to try and damage my business. There are always two sides to every story. Check it out for yourself.

Of course we are dealing with nature. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that nature has its own rules. And in this respect I don't deny that we do get times when there are truly no sharks on the reef. Those times are thankfully few and far between, but yes, they do exist. And if you are unlucky, you might not see a shark for as long as a whole week. However, for that to happen, you really have to be very unlucky.

If, on the other hand, you're very lucky, you may see several thousands of sharks on one dive on Protea Banks. There is a very strong reason why Protea Banks is called a world-renowned shark dive. Let me give you an extract from my recent entries in my logbook:

2.1.09: no sharks
3.1.09: no sharks
4.1.09: 20 hammerheads, 10 sandsharks
7.1.09: 70 hammerheads, 1 bull, 1 black tip (professional golfer Mark McNulty was on this dive)
8.1.09: schools and schools of hammerheads throughout the dive, 1 eagle ray, 20 stingrays
9.1.09: 1500 to 2000 hammerheads, 20 black tips, 1 bull, 1 sandshark, 3 eagle rays, 10 stingrays
10.1.09: 1000+ hammerheads, 12 sandsharks
12.1.09: 8 hammerheads, 2 duskies
16.1.09: 1 tiger, 400 hammerheads, 1 dusky, 20 black tips, 1 sandshark, 80 dolphins, 2 eagle rays, 20 stingrays
Copies of my original logbook entries can be obtained on request.

No more sharks on Protea Banks? I don't think so. Come and see for yourself.

Roland Mauz