In February, I was looking for volunteer projects in South Africa and I found the White Shark Projects. I nearly didn’t book onto it and now I am so glad I did. I can honestly say it was the best thing I have ever done!

I love spending time on boats and so this programme was ideal for me. Working as volunteer crew on the boat was hard work but great fun. We were out on the boats on most days, sometimes one trip and sometimes two trips a day. Morning trips meant work started at 6am and if we had two trips, we were usually finished by 4.30pm.

Getting the boat ready for a trip included getting wetsuits, lifejackets and bait from the garage next to the volunteer house and then collecting towels, food and drink from the White Shark Projects Lodge. We took everything down to the boat and made sure the boat was wiped down and ready to go out.

Once we were out at sea, we helped anchor up and once a shark had been spotted, we got the cage into the water and attached to the side of the boat. We sorted wetsuits out for clients and helped them get ready to go into the cage. We also gave lots of TLC to anyone feeling seasick!

But seeing the white sharks everyday was the best thing of all! We saw at least one shark on every trip, sometimes as many as 8 sharks visited the boat. They are absolutely stunning creatures and it was a huge privilege to see so many during my time at WSP. I really didn’t think I would feel so strongly about them. I have seen reef sharks many times while scuba diving but white sharks are something else!! Seeing the white sharks while in the cage so close-up was amazing! I thought I would be terrified but I was beside myself with excitement and awe every time a shark came swimming towards the cage!

We also helped Adrian, WSP’s marine biologist, collect data on the sharks. We looked out for any distinguishing marks and noted down the behaviour of the sharks each time they visited the boat. This could sometimes prove challenging, especially if we had several sharks visiting the boat in quick succession! Adrian also gave us lectures about white sharks during our time with WSP which were really interesting.

Once the trips were finished and we were back on dry land, the work wasn’t over! Now it was time to clean and clear the boat, clean the wetsuits and only after that was all finished could we settle down with a cup of tea and one of WSP’s famous scones!

Everyone at WSP was fantastic and made us feel welcome and part of the team! I was very lucky to share my time with a great group of volunteers and I have made some great friends! I am planning to go back for a month in 2010 and I’m already looking forward to it!