Name: Theuns Hurter, South Africa
Number of logged dives: a fish in the water, stopped counting
"Hmmm.. I wish I was there at Shelly Beach kitting up for another great shark dive. Thanks a lot Roland for the shark photo CD. Your pictures are awesome! I'll acknowledge you as the photographer when using them. Having done 26 stunning dives with all of you on Protea Banks, I'd like to thank you very much for 5 years of great Protea diving. African Dive Adventures and all of you are a great, friendly and professional outfit. Enjoy your diving!"
Name: Paul Palmer, Canary Islands
Number of logged dives: PADI Divemaster #651243
"Unbelievable and do not worry about anyone up here. They will all know from tomorrow. I've already rung and emailed 3 of their divers! Thank you for what can only be described as 2 awesome dives. Seriously, the 2nd dive was my best dive ever. Thank you for the Lodge details as well."
Name: Andreas Wilkens & Jochen Zeller, Germany
Number of logged dives: PADI MSD 286, PADI AOWD 220
Dived in: Australia, Mozambique, Egypt, Cape Verde, South Africa, Croatia
"In June 2007 my buddy Jochen and I dived with African Dive Adventures. It was our second time and we saw sharks on every dive including bulls, black tips, guitar sharks, many raggies, hammerheads and tigers. Looking into the eye of a massive tiger shark and being so close to it is the most impressive thing I have experienced in my life. Thank God! In order to see more sharks on a dive, Roland, Graeme and Spike organise baited shark diving which is a great experience and a lot of action that guarantees close encounters, interaction and pure emotion underwater. But it doesn't matter much whether you're doing a baited or a normal dive, the sharks are there and they're waiting for you. You just have to jump in. Beulah’s and Roland’s promise, that every guest is king is not only kept underwater but also in the morning on land at the pick up area. Every single step is planned, starting with an excellent briefing and the crew is always ready to help you. Many thanks to you all and we're definitely coming back in 2008!"
Name: Sabine & Jürgen Schneider, Germany
Number of logged dives: CMAS** 250, CMAS*** 400
Dived in: Greece, Malta, Maldives, Indonesia, Mozambique, Egypt
"We've enjoyed the diving with Roland and Spark a lot. On the 7 dives we did, we encountered 5 shark species, including Hammerhead, Bull, Black Tip, Dusky and Tiger Shark. Something you don't want to miss is the baited shark dive where a canister containing mackerel, fish blood and oil is attached to a buoy and set at 6-10m/18-30ft. After waiting for 20 minutes we entered the water and descended to the canister where we immediately bumped into two tiger sharks. Phenomenal! Using this technique of baiting, the sharks never got into a feeding frenzy and we had some amazingly close encounters. Before the dive, Roland gave us an extensive briefing and he strictly adheres to the Shark Project guidelines. Because he has a good relationship with the fishermen, most fishermen release the sharks they catch. A baited shark dive with Roland costs 80 euros but it's worth it. Thank you Beulah, Spark and Roland for the perfect dives. We'll be diving with you guys again next time."
Name: Stefan Hesse, Germany
Number of logged dives: 667
Dived in: Mozambique, Red Sea, Maldives
"I did the baited Tiger Shark dive with Roland and was very impressed. We had a 3.5m/10ft Tiger Shark and were able to closely observe and take detailed pictures of it for 50 minutes. Neither divers nor sharks displayed any signs of stress at any stage. This professionally conducted dive turned out to be an unforgettable experience. I've done the same thing in Umkomaas last year and witnessed complete chaos underwater. Because in Umkomaas the sharks are used to the bait and being touched by divers, they behave very differently and don't seem to have any respect for divers. With Roland, sharks aren't touched or fed, there's a maximum of 10 divers underwater and you'll be getting a thorough briefing on what to do and how to behave before entering the water. It's all under control. Good job. I can recommend it to anyone."