Shark Cage Diving
Full Day Tour - 8 hours+
- Scenic coastal drive to Gansbaai
- Breakfast at 'The Great White House' where the dive master gives a full briefing about the day's procedures
- Anchoring at Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, which boast a large Cape Fur Seal colony
- Watching the crew lure the sharks with chum to the boat
- Lowering the cage into the water when the first shark arrives
- Enjoy snacks and soft drinks on board the boat
This is the shark diving capital of the world. It will be an experience of a lifetime diving with the famous great white sharks. You will enjoy experiencing the great white sharks, in there natural environment, in the beautiful and peaceful waters of Gansbaai.
The scenic tour from Camps Bay accommodation is 2 hours there and 2 hours back (stopping in Hermanus for sight seeing, shopping or wine tasting on the way back).Breakfast (included in the price) is provided at the restaurant before the boat launch. Every trip is preceded by a brief introductory talk about the route and what to look to out for. Passengers are fitted with comfortable inflatable life jackets. Launch time is usually around 9:00 am in the morning (note that launching times may vary due to tide and weather conditions), arriving at the anchoring spot in 20 to 25 minutes. The anchor is lowered, the cage goes into the water, a scent trial is made, and we settle down.
Getting into the cage with the sharks around, is truly the most breath-taking experience you will ever live to remember. When feeding actively around the boat, the sharks may occasionally brush their tail against the cage, but NEVER attack the cage. They are very curious though and often come close-up to the cage, taking a closer look at the diver. A personal, eye-to-eye encounter with this awesome animal is guaranteed to get the adrenaline going!
The cage is situated next to the side of the boat and once ready to take the dive, the Dive Master would assist the diver into the opening at the top of the cage. Once in position, the divers head would be no more than half a meter below the surface.
A free-board of approx. 30cm allows the diver to rise to the surface and effectively communicate with the Dive Master on the boat. Snorkelers would secure themselves by holding onto the convenient cross bars, situated at the top of the cage.
Diving takes place on a quick and effective rotational system, with 5 to 6 divers down at a time. Once the rotation is completed it will be repeated, therefore ensuring that each diver can take as many dives as possible.
Time spent in the cage depends on weather/water conditions, shark activity and eagerness of each diver, but is usually approx. 15 minutes at a time. We rarely have more than 18 divers on board at a time, ensuring maximum cage diving time for all divers and snorkelers.
After spending time with the sharks, we make our way to Dyer Island. At Dyer Island we can approach close enough to view African penguins, Cape cormorants and many other species. We also often spot giant petrels, Cape gannets, white chinned petrels and storm petrels.
Neighboring Dyer Island is Geyser Rock, home to 60,000 Cape Fur Seals. The stretch of water between the two islands is Shark Alley. We visit Shark Alley to view the seals. After about 3 to 5 hours, depending on the day, we head back to land.
