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/ Women's LacrossePrinceton Women's Lacrosse: South Africa Day 5
November 06, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
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"I felt like I was going to die." – Amanda Leavell 2017
Thankfully, Amanda was not referring to her experience cage-diving off of Dyer Island with Great White Sharks. None of the Princeton players suffered injuries on account of the sharks' wrath, however, over 1/3 of the team experienced some severe sea sickness. Shark Watch South Africa will certainly never forget Princeton Women's Lacrosse as we set a new record for number of sandwich bags-turned vomit bags used on a single trip. Traveler's tip: beef and cheese lasagna is not an ideal pre-shark diving meal. We realized that our legs were better conditioned for long distance running and lifting, rather than the sea. Despite the nausea, everyone got in a cage together in the Indian Ocean in a region with the highest density of great whites in the world. Needless to say, today we all experienced an exhilarating adventure. The sensation of sitting in the ice cold water while our guide screamed "look right, look left, STRAIGHT AHEAD," and then seeing a massive predator powerfully swim towards us elicited shrieks that echoed all the way back to campus. As senior captain Olivia Hompe describes the moment, "It was LIT."
Prior to cage-diving, we visited the Dyer Island Conservation Trust that works to rescue and rehabilitate African penguins. Our team collectively donated to the organization which will rehabilitate one penguin back into the wild. The passion of the director was evident in his commitment to the project and his love of each penguin—although the animals only stay at the conservation center for 2-4 weeks, he was able to name each one.
As we head to Cape Town International Airport to start our journey back home and the beautiful South African countryside passes by, we all take a moment to be mindful and reminisce on the incredible eight days we've had. From Amsterdam to Zwolle to Cape Town, each day has presented us with a new challenge, a new adventure, and, incidentally, a new way to grow and stretch ourselves.
Lastly, some favorite moments from a member of each class:
Annie Cory 2020: "My favorite activity was shark diving because it was really adventurous and something I never thought I'd get to do. All the freshmen were sitting together on the bottom of the boat and every time we hit a wave, we'd all scream—it was so fun!"
Julia Haney 2019: "My favorite part of the trip was having all of the kids swarm me as we walked into the playground at the orphanage and they didn't want to let go. We didn't speak the same language necessarily, but we were able to communicate and connect."
Colby Chanenchuk 2018: "Surfing was my favorite because it was my first time ever doing it—I realized I had a skill I never knew about! Everything about the first day—Table Mountain, the orphanage, surfing—was amazing.
Madeline Rodriguez 2017: "The most memorable moment of the trip was our visit to Robben Island and hearing about the firsthand experiences of a former prisoner as our tour guide. I was glad that we had the opportunity to learn about South Africa's history in addition to all of our adventurous activities."
"I felt like I was going to die." – Amanda Leavell 2017
Thankfully, Amanda was not referring to her experience cage-diving off of Dyer Island with Great White Sharks. None of the Princeton players suffered injuries on account of the sharks' wrath, however, over 1/3 of the team experienced some severe sea sickness. Shark Watch South Africa will certainly never forget Princeton Women's Lacrosse as we set a new record for number of sandwich bags-turned vomit bags used on a single trip. Traveler's tip: beef and cheese lasagna is not an ideal pre-shark diving meal. We realized that our legs were better conditioned for long distance running and lifting, rather than the sea. Despite the nausea, everyone got in a cage together in the Indian Ocean in a region with the highest density of great whites in the world. Needless to say, today we all experienced an exhilarating adventure. The sensation of sitting in the ice cold water while our guide screamed "look right, look left, STRAIGHT AHEAD," and then seeing a massive predator powerfully swim towards us elicited shrieks that echoed all the way back to campus. As senior captain Olivia Hompe describes the moment, "It was LIT."
Prior to cage-diving, we visited the Dyer Island Conservation Trust that works to rescue and rehabilitate African penguins. Our team collectively donated to the organization which will rehabilitate one penguin back into the wild. The passion of the director was evident in his commitment to the project and his love of each penguin—although the animals only stay at the conservation center for 2-4 weeks, he was able to name each one.
As we head to Cape Town International Airport to start our journey back home and the beautiful South African countryside passes by, we all take a moment to be mindful and reminisce on the incredible eight days we've had. From Amsterdam to Zwolle to Cape Town, each day has presented us with a new challenge, a new adventure, and, incidentally, a new way to grow and stretch ourselves.
Lastly, some favorite moments from a member of each class:
Annie Cory 2020: "My favorite activity was shark diving because it was really adventurous and something I never thought I'd get to do. All the freshmen were sitting together on the bottom of the boat and every time we hit a wave, we'd all scream—it was so fun!"
Julia Haney 2019: "My favorite part of the trip was having all of the kids swarm me as we walked into the playground at the orphanage and they didn't want to let go. We didn't speak the same language necessarily, but we were able to communicate and connect."
Colby Chanenchuk 2018: "Surfing was my favorite because it was my first time ever doing it—I realized I had a skill I never knew about! Everything about the first day—Table Mountain, the orphanage, surfing—was amazing.
Madeline Rodriguez 2017: "The most memorable moment of the trip was our visit to Robben Island and hearing about the firsthand experiences of a former prisoner as our tour guide. I was glad that we had the opportunity to learn about South Africa's history in addition to all of our adventurous activities."
Friday, May 08
Friday, April 17
Thursday, March 05
Wednesday, February 18