Adelaide Shark Swim Adventure?? Details!! Fun??

From the Daily Mail in London yesterday, they have this headline in their travel section: "My date with a Great White on a sun-kissed adventure in South Australia" with these highlights by an Aussie-born, London-resident author/media personality: "The massive sign that greets disembarking passengers at Adelaide Airport asks: 'What is Australia's deadliest marine creature?' It's illustrated with a terrifying array of teeth-gnashing sharks, sinister- looking stingrays and iridescent, tentacle-trailing, anaphylactic shock-inducing jellyfish. I would soon be swimming in this lethal soup. What's so scary about a state that has world-famous vineyards; a 2,300-mile coastline of golden, empty beaches; a laid-back lifestyle under a big, blue, easy-going sky; unique outback and marine adventures; spectacular sporting events; innovative cuisine and cultural treats? All this and more makes South Australia a stimulating destination. Its capital, Adelaide, is the only city in Australia that was pioneered by free settlers. As a descendent of both the First and Second Fleets that took law-breakers Down Under (my family's the crème de la crim of Australia), I half expected to be clamped in irons at customs. Instead, I was loaded on to a little plane for a half-hour hop to Port Lincoln. The southern hemisphere's biggest fishing port, with an industry worth millions, is situated on the Eyre Peninsula, a place of towering limestone cliffs and ancient granite outcrops. Its pristine waters are home to Australia's 'big five' of the aquatic variety: sharks, whales, tuna, sea lions and dolphins."

This long travel story provides these other details: "Tourists can frolic in the sapphire seas with stingrays with their theatrical capes and stage- villain grins, giant cuttlefish, dolphins, playful sea lions and awesome southern right whales. Having left snowy London the day before, we were met by Emma Forster, who organises local marine adventures. She's in demand as South Australia is one of only two places in the world where it's possible to dive with Great White sharks. Emma nonchalantly let slip that over the years, five of her friends and family have been 'taken'. This could explain why a few minutes later I was clinging to the dock like Robinson Crusoe to his driftwood. The plan was to cruise to the aptly named Shark Bay at Neptune Island, 40 miles south of Port Lincoln and home to a large seal colony. Then we would 'chum up' the water (meaning pouring in bucketfuls of fishy bits), don some scuba gear and descend in a steel cage to come face to face with the 16ft to 18ft predators."

Much more is outlined in the full story. But this gives you a little sampling for some added Aussie adventures and options. Volunteers to swim with the sharks?? Or, people who have done this exciting option? Our time in and around Adelaide is limited and more focused on Kangaroo Island prior to our Solstice Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014 cruse.. But this shark adventure does seem interesting. Also, did not realize the historic aspect for the free settlers here versus what happened in other areas of Australia.

Cutely, the author, Kathy Lette, noted: "I asked what bait was used to lure the sharks. 'Small children,' the skipper grinned. And his top survival tip if you encounter a Great White in the wild? 'Push your friend in front of it.' The laconic local humour is even drier than their wine." Fun and exciting??

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2326670/Kathy-Lette-brush-Great-White-South-Australia.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Celebrity Solstice Visual Highlights? From our June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in France, Italy, Kotor and Dubrovnik, I have pull together a number of wonderful visuals of the Solstice, its features, food, entertainment, options, etc. We are now at 5,931 views for this shorter version of my larger full review of that cruise and all of the port pictures/details. Check these postings and added info at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477