WHAT OUR GUESTS SAY ABOUT OUR EXPEDITIONS
“Brilliant !!!!! Do it now! Etched memories for life … The great white sharks in South Africa are within one meter from you, and that does haunt you? Chris Fallows and his team take you on Seal Island to observe predation of great whites on fur seals. They exhibit exemplary professionalism, really a top team, which makes for fabulous times engraved for life in your memory… great white sharks, sea lions, penguins, dolphins by the hundreds, southern right and humpback whales, gulls, albatrosses, yellowfin tuna, blue sharks….. you will not know where to look, Chris has such an incredible spotting sense and he finds everything that has to be seen in the waters of False Bay. Seven extraordinary days, a magical land, stunning scenery, incredible sunrises, rich wildlife. A dream vacation with full respect of wildlife and the environment. A super pro, super friendly staff, a great expedition leader, and, when it’s done, everyone had become FRIENDS. A trip without sharks? They try another spot. Again no shark? Then they try another spot again, and yes, there are sharks there. To be done and redone. Impossible to be disappointed by this expedition and by these men. I returned in 2016….”
(Brice Hidalgo, Francia).
“Alessandro De Maddalena always told me “If you really want, you can”… Well, there is nothing more true! I admit that from the moment when I started to think about joining the expedition, to the moment when I paid the deposit, I asked thousands of questions to myself… The cost, leaving alone without my girlfriend, my job… But I launched myself in this adventure anyway. And I’ll never be so happy as I’ve been there (clearly I’ll be as happy again when I come back). The most beautiful place in the world. I met splendid people. I met professionals full of passion and expertise. I met him… the great white shark. What can you ask for more than this in your life!?!?!? I spent hours and hours watching False Bay from the terrace of the Grosvenor… I was enraptured and I tried to enjoy every single moment… Thank you Alessandro for giving me the opportunity to join. Thank you Chris, Monique and the crew of the White Pointer II, for your professionalism, enthusiasm and your neverending kindness. Thanks to my travel companions, a fantastic group of people, we played well together from the beginning. Thanks to myself, for believing it, for not letting my doubts stop me, for making the decision and finally making a dream come true. The DREAM.”
(Luca Trabucco, Italia)
“Even this year I’ve spent some very beautiful moments in your company, Alessandro. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, and for always being helpful to each one of us. See you next year!”
(Marie France Vergnaud, Francia)
“What can I say about the shark expedition in South Africa this year… I spent wonderful days with wonderful people, thank God for everything. Thanks to my dear friend, Alessandro De Maddalena, and to Chris and Monique Fallows. They are the nicest people, they love their job and they put their hearts into it. Thank you ‘cause you have made my biggest dream come true. It felt like I was in a documentary. With you, we felt at home. Thanks to all the crew, thanks to Alessandra and little Antonio for their kindness. Many thanks to my wife who accompanied me. Moreover I found a group which worked very well together. We had beautiful and unforgettable memories, experiences that we lived together and that will remain in our hearts, forever, between jokes, laughter and a great desire to learn and to be together. God bless you guys and love sharks. A big hug. :)”
(Matteo Greselin, Italia)
“The best moments you can experience nowhere else. A once in a lifetime, amazing experience! You’ll be with the best crew available. All you have to do is enjoy your trip. Sometimes there’s bad weather, so they won’t risk your life, but only one trip was cancelled… So that’s why, when you go out and see the predations, dive in the cage, or just take a look from the boat, this is a once in a lifetime, unique experience! And you’ll meet some good people ;)”
(Fabien Yvenou, Francia)
“Dear Alessandro, the first thing I thought I should do after I returned from the expedition was to send you a huge THANK YOU! It was an unforgettable experience. It’s like I’ve been initiated in to a great secret of nature… But not only this, you and your wonderful family further enriched this magnificent journey. I was very lucky even with the great expedition companions and I am really happy that Matteo was able to make his dream come true. I will definitely return next year. 🙂 A big hug to you, Alessandra and Antonio (double for him :-).”
(Gloria Esposito, Italia)
“Nostalgia for South Africa… After having lived such strong emotions, having seen places of a beauty that have no equals with exceptional people, with a passion as strong as mine, it is difficult to come back to everyday life. I came back so enriched and I’ve decided that I have no choice but to return again. I’m happy that my dream of seeing the great sharks has come true. Thank you Alessandro, my friend, for your passion, your kindness, your patience; thank you for giving me the opportunity to make my dream of seeing these fascinating sharks come true! I’ll never forget this marvelous adventure. Leaving has been hard for me… I have so many beautiful memories… I hope we’ll meet again soon, you did a tremendous job. Thank you so much.”
(Manuel Wenger, Francia)
“This is not just a trip, it’s an experience of a lifetime where you’ll see unbelievable things. The great white shark is a magnificent animal, impossible to describe. What for me was once fear and fascination, is now admiration and respect for one of the most beautiful creatures of Mother Nature. During this experience you’re not only going to see great white sharks, but you’ll also admire the large southern right whales, hundreds of dolphins, fur seals, gannets and penguins that inhabit that magnificent place called False Bay, where two oceans meet, and where one day I’ll be back.”
(Aaronne Colagrossi, Italia)
“I’ll be always grateful to Alessandro for giving me the opportuniy to fulfill my childhood dream… a dream that I never thought I had the possibility to realize. Thanks to him I lived for 7 days in a real documentary, together with Chris and his team, who always put professionalism and his love for marine life first! Impossible to forget that magic place and most of all, impossible to imagine never returning!”
(Salvo Filizzola, Italia)
“Been there, done that and even got the T-shirt ! And not only that, I left S.A. with great memories from this once in a lifetime experience. From meeting at the airport to going out to sea, to meeting sharks… of the white, blue and cow kind, and seals and penguins, to the great evening lessons on Shark Biology by the renown Professor, A. De Maddalena, to going out to sea in a great catamaran with fantastic crew members, very acknowledged in local marine fauna, and very well acquainted with the local shark population…. they just seem to know every great white about! (notes and measures of sightings are written in a special logbook), and mustn’t forget about the accommodation, clean, friendly, very spacious in a quaint setting with great view of False Bay. With so many restaurants in a small place, it’s not worth cooking at home, and they are very cheap too, the food is just another experience waiting to happen… Trying to write about my experience in S.A is not an easy task, it was easy being there but not easy leaving the place… I left behind many a good friend and can only hope to make it back as soon as possible. If you can make it, do so… I promise you’ll have an unforgettable trip. With thanks to A. De Maddalena and lovely Mrs De Maddalena and all staff at APEX SHARK EXPEDITIONS (Simon’s Town, Cape, Z.A ).”
(Dino Galetovic, Regno Unito)
“This journey has been the dream of my life, it was a very exciting experience and I also learned many things about sharks. This knowledge has been very useful for my work. I recommend everybody have this wonderful experience with the help of 3 of the best specialists in sharks: Alessandro, Chris and Monique.”
(Paco Pinto, Spagna)
“It was an awesome experience with really nice and experienced people. Ale, Chris and Monique are great and very kind, don’t hesitate to go with them, you won’t regret it!”
(Florian Legrand, Francia)
“This was a unique experience. Visiting False Bay is not a simple trip but it’s the discovery of emotions that I didn’t even imagine I had. Finally my dream came true… seeing the great white at a few centimetres distance takes your breath away; you realise, even more, what a splendid creature it is. My desire has become real, thanks to Dott. De Maddalena and to Chris and Monique Fallows. Thanks to their knowledge, professionalism and willingness, you can be sure that you’re going to get the best. You are not going to be treated as a simple tourist, but it will be like being inside a documentary!! False Bay and Cape Peninsula are magnificent places… that I hope to visit again, soon!! PS. You were right Alessandro… I’ll never stop thanking you!!”
(Fabrizio Pesaresi, Italia)
“I’m back after a week in South Africa with shark specialist Dott. Alessandro De Maddalena, who hosts this beautiful encounter with great white sharks. The organization was perfect, with one and a half hour daily lectures on these fantastic animals. It’s a unique opportunity for anyone who loves sharks.”
(Richard Allan, Francia)
“Alessandro, a huge thank you for your hospitality, for your passion and your lectures. Huge thanks even to Apex Shark Expeditions for their hospitality and their professionalism. Your contribution to the success of this expedition has been fundamental. From a personal point of view, I was able to fulfill one of my biggest dreams. I came home with my head full of beautiful images and memories that I’ll never forget.”
(Nathalie Bardet, Francia)
“In January I gave a present to my 11 year old child, Riccardo, this magnificent trip, to teach him respect for these animals and the love for them, but most of all that different kinds of holidays exist. The sea is not made only to tan, and to get stuck in a queue on a Sunday to go to some shopping mall is not the best use of our time. There are other worlds and other interests around us. We have to be different, not just adapting ourselves to some style of life. This has been a very beautiful trip! I recommend it to everyone. I lacked diving experience, but I wore a wetsuit and I saw the great white shark close to the cage, the sardines and the blue sharks, accompanied by Chris Fallows. The seals and the funny penguins were wonderful. The guests and the accommodation were excellent! Alessandro was great, a true expert and he and his family were very friendly. I’m a vegetarian and I had no problem with the food. Riccardo talks often about the trip and we watch the photos together. At school, his expedition diary was a big success, even among his teachers. I hope to see you soon again, maybe for another expedition in another location to admire the ocean’s animals. A big hug to all my expedition companions. PS: Clearly they didn’t pay me to sing their praises.”
(Stefania Marchesi, Italia)
“Thank you Alessandro, to your wonderful family and to Apex. Thanks for the great vacation … Thanks for making my DREAM come true… for allowing me to see these fantastic animals… for showing me Cape Point and all the other places… Thank you for these memories that I will carry with me forever, a fantastic adventure with splendid people. THANK YOU!!!! Maybe we’ll meet again soon…!!!”
(Andrea Inglese, Italia)
“Alessandro, thank you so much for the whole experience. From start to finish, it was amazing. My dream was to see a great white shark and we saw so many, I am very happy. I really didn’t want to leave. We had such a special trip, not only with all the incredible shark action we witnessed, the wildlife, and scenery but also with the fantastic people in our group. I am even missing getting up at 5 am! Wishing I was back there. Glad to hear that the September trip was a success too. Loved the shark biology lectures as well, thank you for the certificate of attendance. I will be keeping that very safe. Thank you again Ale, for everything. I really appreciate all that you did for us. Thanks for making my dream come true. Jimi has said that great white shark diving is addictive, and I definitely can’t wait for the next trip! Thank you. I am forever grateful.”
(Kayleigh Williams, Regno Unito)
“Although it may seem exaggerated to say, these expeditions truly change your life. And for those who would be afraid of the upheaval, South Africa can only change everything for the better. I grew up with a great love for sharks, and all I’ve always hoped to do in my life was to look into their eyes in their natural environment. A few years ago I resolved an objective: to ensure that 2012 would be the year that my dream would come true. September 2012 was much more because, as nice as I could have expected it to be, I would never have thought it would be greater than imagined. You can not explain these expeditions without everything you say appearing to be exaggerated. You need to go and let yourself get carried away by all the things that are going happen: great white sharks jumping out of the water, seals reaching the safety of the island, gannets diving like bullets, whales surfacing, dolphins hunting only a few meters from Apex’s boat. And to make everything even more intense, the company of people like Alessandro De Maddalena, Chris and Monique Fallows and all the rest of their crew, explain everything perfectly, as it happens. And finally, there is the company of other fellow travelers who will be there in False Bay as you are moved and united by the same passion. They, too, will change your life!”
(Sara Celli, Italia).
“Alessandro, thank you for the wonderful experience and for everything I’ve witnessed in False Bay, for me it was a dream!!!!! The expedition went much better than I expected… even if I already thought it would be a wonderful thing. From the start to the end it was a fantastic experience, from being able to see the sharks hunting, to admiring them from the cage, and to learning many things about their classification, anatomy and behavior thanks to your course. I mean, it has been a truly amazing experience that I would have never thought to be able to do. So I thank you for the umpteenth time, and I know you will say that we should not thank you, but trust me, if I had done the same thing with someone else, it wouldn’t have been the same. I wait for the dates for Australia to be able to book as early as possible, so see you soon !!!!!!!!!!!!! ”
(Stefano Loredan Perlott, Italia)
“I’m already back. A magical experience, an unforgettable expedition, marvelous participants and friends, awesome landscapes, fantastic animals, a magnificent country. I can’t wait for the next expedition!!!! Whooooohoooooooo !!! Laura, Luca, Fabrizio, Davide, Manuel, Joel, Marie-France, Philippe, Fabien I miss you already!!! Waking up at 5, leaving the harbour at 6, the wind, the cold, the waiting, the shouts of joy, the sharing of our emotions, the hours on the road, the laughs, the sun, the sharks, the penguins, and all the rest. Thank you for those fabulous moments spent with all of you and special thanks to Alessandro and Alessandra! Hoping to see you very soon for another adventure!”
(Maria-Anghjula Leca, Francia)
“Among the most beautiful and exciting experiences of my life are the expeditions in South Africa with my friend and shark expert Alessandro De Maddalena. I took part in four of his expeditions and each one was more beautiful than the previous one. His knowledge and congeniality are the icing on the cake. Prof. De Maddalena enriches his expeditions with shark biology lessons, very interesting and didactically accessible to everyone. For an enthusiast of sea and sharks, this is a unique opportunity, absolutely to be experienced.”
(Andrea Sharklover, Italy)
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“Alessandro, Thanks again for everything you did for us during what has been another unforgettable expedition. To see these animals, study them, and immerse ourselves in their habitat, together with people like you, and your great professionalism and humanity, makes this an amazing experience. Add to that a very enthusiastic group, and the outcome is priceless. I can’t wait to leave for the next expedition.”
(Stephanie Rudolph, Germany)
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“I have been on many expeditions with Alessandro, Chris and Monique, and I can say without a doubt that they have a great amount of professionalism, experience, and cordiality. I will repeat the experience as soon as possible to further enrich my cultural baggage on the biology and ethology of these beautiful animals, the great white sharks, in the company of other enthusiasts who will contribute to make the expedition unique.”
(Gaspare Schillaci, Italy)
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“Years ago, I wanted to make one of my dreams come true, to see a live great white shark. I had read some books by Prof. Alessandro De Maddalena and, in 2012, I decided to contact him and join one of his expeditions to False Bay, in South Africa. I knew I had chosen one of the greatest shark experts in the world, but I did not imagine that I would experience something more than a journey, something more than an expedition, something more than a biology course… I would live my experience as an absolute protagonist because that’s how you feel in the company of Alessandro and Chris and Monique Fallows. On board the White Pointer II, I experienced the most magical moments of my life. Not only had I made my dream come true, but I really understood what it means to love and respect these wonderful animals and how one can make a valuable service of environmental protection with his own work. Thanks to Alessandro for turning the reality into something bigger than the dream; we are used to spending money in many ways, this was definitely the best way for me, see you soon.”
(Carlo Guliardini, Italy)
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“Alessandro, thank you for the wonderful week. I think I had the most beautiful experience of my life. You have been a great leader. Besides being very knowledgeable, you are also nice, very friendly and helpful. I hope to see you again, I will try to join another expedition, if I’m in the condition to do it. Heartfelt thanks.”
(Alessandro Betto, Italy)
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“Dear Alessandro, Where to start? The whole expedition has been great, from your welcome to the great finale. I experienced the most beautiful moments of all my life, I learned a lot in your company, thanks to your experience and your knowledge, as well as with Chris and Monique Fallows. The group I joined was great, being able to share the love of sharks and this magical experience with them was just great, unforgettable laughter and lifetime friendships. I have no regrets, except not being able to stay forever on the boat. This experience has been a dream come true to me, and one of the most magical, with sunrises worthy of a canvas master and these magnificent sharks, whales and sea lions. I go home with even more conviction to change the opinion about sharks amongst my friends, and with my head and my camera full of images. I recommend to all shark lovers to join one of your expeditions at least once in their lives. Thanks to you, your family, Chris, Monique, the employees of Apex and the Grovenor ,as well as the participants. Many thanks, and as Schwarzenegger says, “I’ll be back.”
(Laurianne Bourdelais, France)
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“Having joined twice, I have to agree with the other enthusiastic reviews… High-level of professionalism (starting from the program sent weeks earlier, where everything is explained very clearly), seriousness and cheerfulness at the same time. Positive thinking and latin creativity, combined with attention to details and german organisational spirit. Better than that … ”
(Alessandro Nuzzo, Italy)
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“Alessandro, Thank you again for this wonderful experience spent in your very pleasant company. I was very happy to meet you, your wife and your son, as well as the very friendly group, not forgetting Chris and Monique and their kind welcome. I will keep an excellent memory of this expedition.”
(Vincent Thulier, Belgium)
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“Incredible memories, the most beautiful experience of my life, my dream!”
(Elise Raynaud, France)
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“We want to thank you because you gave us a truly unique and important experience, indeed not unique… we hope to be able to repeat it! We are very happy with the way we spent our honeymoon because the group was truly very nice, the experiences incredible and you were a fundamental part of the success of our trip.”
(Claudio Aiello and Costanza Ferrero, Italy)