Risking the jaws of death - up to 100 of them

SA divers will take the plunge with deadly predators just to see what happens, writes Isaac Mahlangu

A GROUP of South African divers will take to the deep blue sea next week for a daring 24-hour swim with sharks.

The "experiment show" will be filmed, with parts of it screened live, for National Geographic and broadcast in at least 60 countries, including the US where the channel has an audience of around 40 million.

Durban marine conservationist Mark Addison and his team will be accompanied by a cameraman who will film their underwater stunt.

Addison, 43, who has more than 20 years' experience as a diver, expects to come across between 60 and 100 sharks of various species during filming.

"In the 24 hours that we are going to be out there we're going to encounter ragged tooth sharks, black tip sharks, tiger sharks and dusky sharks," Addison said.

"These are the animals we work with on an almost daily basis."

The tiger shark may have a reputation as being dangerous but has a relatively low attack rate while the black tip - generally wary of humans - is known to become aggressive, especially around food.

Swimming with sharks is quite normal for Addison, who has spent nearly every day of the past 16 years in the company of these predators.

The show, Shark Attack Experiment, will be filmed next week in the waters of Aliwal Shoal, a protected marine area south of Durban.

Addison will lead the experienced team of divers including his wife Gail, shark conservationist Olivia Symcox and shark diver Clare Daly. American Andy Cassagrande will be braving the shark-infested waters to film them.

Their mission is to test the behaviour of the sharks when humans - without the protection of viewing cages - enter their turf, said Addison.

Symcox said the documentary would provide valuable information, especially for swimmers and surfers, about shark behaviour.

"As a surfer, participation in this project has been a real eye-opener," Symcox said. "I got a chance to get close to South Africa's shark species and learnt a lot about their behaviour."

Addison said they hope to dispel "basic myths on shark attacks", one of which was that not wearing a wetsuit placed a swimmer at greater risk of attack.

"Whether you are in a costume or a wetsuit, that's not a big feature in a shark's decision," he said.

Addison, the son of a marine scientist, started swimming with sharks when he was nine.

Preparations for the live show begin tomorrow with rehearsals to iron out potential challenges.

The channel will screen their shark mission as a two-hour live show during which marine scientists will analyse the visuals .

National Geographic regional director Thandi Davids said: "It is the first time that the channel is undertaking an experiment of this nature and it allows viewers the opportunity to engage in real time with these amazing animals and view how they respond to various stimuli and humans." Davids said the experiment would be aired live in the US, Latin America and Asia on National Geographic Wild.