Port Lincoln

Getting up close to a great white shark depends more on its taste for tunes than you

STORY DILVIN YASA

Sheila is a great white with more than 300 teeth who enjoys belly rubs, ’70s American rock band Talking Heads and, presumably, long stalks on the beach. “You’ll know when Sheila’s arrived, because she rubs her belly along the cage in the hope someone will give it a rub and that’s quite unusual for a great white,” says Matt Waller, owner of Adventure Bay Charters (adventurebaycharters.com.au).

The tagged shark is clearly a favourite with staff.

“Of course, we wouldn’t recommend you put any of your limbs outside of the cage at any point …” You know why?

Because Talking Heads or no Talking Heads, there’s no getting past the fact that Sheila (along with her mates, the improbably named Susan and Cuddles) is still a great white shark. And there’s every chance I’m about to come face-to-face with her.

It’s pre-dawn in Port Lincoln, a city on the lower Eyre Peninsula known for its fishing and seafood industry. We’re boarding a smallerthan-expected boat that will take us on a threehour journey out to Neptune Islands, a known hunting ground for great whites. It’s also the only site within Australia where shark cage diving is permitted.

“There are over 1000 sharks around the islands at any one time,” says an unusually chipper Matt, as he hands out seasickness tablets, cheese toasties and 7mm wetsuits to the motley looking crew of divers, both domestic and international.

“But they’re far from the bloodthirsty predators they’re made out to be in the media; they’re actually more like curious toddlers who use their teeth to explore new objects.”

He doesn’t say “like body parts”, so I’ll put that last bit in for you.

There is a radiant sunrise as we head out towards open water and a pod of dolphins races besides us as we eat cake.

I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. When I open them again the boat is rocking violently in huge swells and 80 per cent of the boat’s inhabitants are emptying their stomachs into readily available sick bags.

Sir David Attenborough’s voice booms from mounted televisions screening Blue Planet. It’s almost a pity they don’t screen some of the famous shark movies that have been filmed around Neptune Islands, including Jaws and The Reef and the most recent, Cage Dive (spoiler alert: those movies don’t end particularly well).

At last we stop and an anchor is dropped to a depth of 25m – followed by a set of underwater speakers.

One of three cage-diving charters operating out of Port Lincoln, Adventure Bay Charters doesn’t bait the sharks.

“The smell of blood makes them aggressive and we don’t want them to make that kind of association with humans,” Matt says.

Instead, they reel sharks in with AC/DC. Great whites don’t have ears, but they do respond favourably to the low-frequency pulsing vibrations found in heavy metal music.

Over time, Matt and his team have almost gleefully discovered most great whites have a penchant for the rather ironic songs, You Shook Me All Night Long and If You Want Blood (You Got It).

“We’ve played the sharks Christmas carols and Avril Lavigne, and we’ve discovered these songs not only attract them but make them less aggressive and more inquisitive,” he says.

Does Sheila have a favourite Talking Heads song? “Actually, she seems to dig Sax and Violins.”

The water has calmed and a detailed safety briefing takes place as the cage is moved to the back of the boat. Alongside is an Aqua Sub, a large glass tank that allows people to “shark dive lite” and remain dry and comfortable. Each contraption fits six humans and both are submerged 3m below the surface. A ladder helps divers get in and out as they desire.

The sharks are enticed with floating toys and, for our dive, Guns N’ Roses’ version of Knocking on Heaven’s Door. Despite the great white’s reputation, it’s surprisingly easy to don a mask and weights and slide into the water clutching on to a breathing apparatus. What takes your breath away is the coldness of the water. Schools of trevally, kingfish and horseshoe leatherjackets swim past, helping to quiet your mind and eventually you notice how beautiful and serene it is down here. A sense of calm envelopes you and the waiting process begins. It can be a long one.

In 2015, the local cage-diving industry ground to a halt after a pod of killer whales attacked and killed a 4m great white in front of divers at this spot. It has made the sharks cautious about approaching boats. But almost immediately a murky shadow appears in the distance, the outline of a great white growing clearer as it advances. About 4m long, it is majestic and elegant, giving us a once over and then gliding past to inspect the rubbery chicken toys bobbing on the surface.

Over six hours, we see one more great white shark and several bronze whalers – experiences interspersed with hot meals, snacks, beverages and contemplation. On the three-hour trip back I’m exhausted, but exhilarated with my new view of these gorgeous creatures. Would I want to come face-to-face with one at the beach? Not a chance. But put me in a cage in a large expanse of water and, yes, every time.