Gansbaai
Great White Shark Diving

Gansbaai is world famous for its great white cage diving, and offers a truly remarkable experience to its visitors.

The large great white shark population around Gansbaai is largely attributed to the presence of Dyer Island and the nearby Geyser Rock, which is home to 60,000 cape fur seals. The gully between these two rock faces is known as Shark Alley, where the sharks feast on the colony of seals throughout the year.

The professional dive company taking you great white cage diving is internationally acclaimed, and has been used by celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. The company is run by great white shark expert Mike Rutzen, who has appeared on wildlife documentaries on channels such as National Geographic, and is widely known as ‘Shark Man’.

Although you have a very good chance of seeing a great white (especially during winter) they are wild animals, so there is no guarantee that you will see one on a given dive. In addition to this if weather condition make launching the boat or diving dangerous the dive will be cancelled – this is why the itinerary consists of four great white cage dives, maximising your chances of seeing as many sharks as possible. Please note that if the dive is cancelled because of bad weather you will be refunded the money from this part of the trip.

The boats will usually launch between 8am and 10am, after you have been offered a hearty breakfast and been given a safety briefing and told what to expect on the boat. Once on the boat it will take between 15 and 30 minutes to travel the 5km or so to where the sharks are most commonly found. Once anchor is dropped ‘chum’ based liquid will be thrown into the water to attract the sharks, and the cage will be lowered into the sea. Anyone wishing to get in the water with the sharks (in the cage) will kit up into a wetsuit and booties and choose their mask.

There is no pressure for anyone to get into the water, if you wish to watch the show from the boat that is absolutely fine – quite often the view is just as good from on the boat.

Once a shark is spotted the first set of divers will get into the cage to view the show. Six divers can be accommodated at a time, and will be rotated until everyone has seen the shark(s). No SCUBA equipment is actually used as the bubbles tend to scare the sharks away, and a mask is all you need to enjoy the heart pounding adrenaline rush of seeing a great white shark two metres away in the open water.

The boat is equipped with all of the diving equipment that you will use, as well as a selection of complimentary drinks and snacks to keep you going throughout the day. Towels are also available on board, but it is recommended that you bring a warm fleece or jacket with you as it can get quite cold out to sea. Sun screen, a hat and camera are also recommended, although disposable underwater cameras can be bought on board. The boat is large and sturdy, and so minimises the chances of sea sickness. However, if you are prone to sea sickness it is recommended that you take some medication for this before the dive.

The whole experience usually takes at least four hours, and after coming back to land you will be invited to have a warm or cold drink back at base whilst you discuss the exciting adventure you just had with each other. A video is made of the whole experience each day, and you are welcome to buy the DVD of your experience. The disc comes with a DVD documentary about the sharks, and the current price for both DVDs is R350. (This price is accurate as of February 2009 and is not included in the price of the trip).

The temperature of the sea tends to range from between 12 and 16 degrees, and the visibility ranges from 2m on a bad day to up to 17m on a good day. May to October is the best time to see the sharks, with a sighting chance of virtually 100%, but stormy weather conditions can prevent boat launches. In April, November and December there is a 60 to 70% chance of seeing sharks, although the water visibility can be quite poor. In January to March there is a 40 to 50% chance of seeing sharks and the weather is usually beautiful.