What Is Shark Cage Diving?
Shark Cage Diving in South Africa is a well-known water activity with plenty of information available online. If anything, I'd describe it less as "diving" and more as "Shark Hold Your Breath" — all you need to do is crouch down and hold your breath to watch a shark feeding show from inside the cage. Before you get in the water, the operator will run through a safety briefing on shore: for example, if your camera or GoPro reaches too far outside the cage they'll haul you back up, and they don't provide snorkels because the crew shouts directions from the boat and wants you to surface to breathe and take instructions.
Gansbaai is very popular for Shark cage diving. There are lots of information if you google. I'd rather say it's more of Shark hold your breath than diving though. You don't really need to dive, just hold your breath and squat. A safety brief would be provided like your camera or GoPro are not allowed to reach out of the cage too far. Or they give direction of the shark so that you need to stand up for instruction.
Shark Cage Diving pre-dive safety briefing
Working with Nature
When it comes to activities that depend on nature, luck really does matter. We were pretty lucky that day — two groups went in the water and together we spotted 8 bronze whaler sharks, ranging from 2.5 m to 4 m at the largest. On the other hand, we weren't so lucky in that we never saw a great white shark, because killer whales had moved into the area before I arrived and either killed or scared them all away. Visibility in South Africa isn't great — the bottom is sandy — so if clear water is a priority, you may want to consider Australia or Mexico instead.
Luck is very important when working with nature. We saw 8 bronze whaler sharks from 2.5 meters to 4 meters. It's a pity that I didn't have a chance to see great white sharks. Before I arrived, the killer whales killed them and scared them away. The visibility is not good in Gansbaai due to the sandy area. It is said that the visibility is good in Australia or Mexico.
Visibility for shark watching in South Africa is relatively poor
The cage is large enough for six people to go in together, with handrails and footholds inside. However, wearing a 7mm wetsuit with no weights, I couldn't sink myself down, so I ended up holding myself in place using a full ninja pose.
The cage is quite large — it fits 6 in a row. There are also places to place your arms and feet. Without weights, I could barely dive myself underwater in a 7mm wetsuit, so I posed myself like the picture below.
The German couple next to me kept laughing at my pose, and the guy tried to copy it — except his feet were noticeably longer than mine and kept poking out of the cage, where the sharks kept bumping into them. The water temperature that day was around 16°C, so the moment everyone got in, you could hear "so cold!" in every language imaginable. Then once the sharks showed up, it turned into a chorus of expletives in every language.
The German couple next to me laughed at my pose and tried to imitate me. However, the guy's feet were obviously longer than mine — the sharks kept on hitting the guy's feet. When we first got in the water, I heard "cold!" in a variety of languages, as the water temperature was only 16°C. When the sharks came, it became a lot of "holy ****!"
A shark cruising near the cage
I'd especially recommend fighting for the spot directly beneath the person throwing the bait — it's the VIP front-row section and it is so much fun! You get a non-stop rush of sharks charging straight at your face, plus an enormous fish head barreling over your head again and again. If you watch the video you'll probably think I'm ridiculously loud — I just couldn't stop screaming every time a shark came at me; it was the only way I could express how incredibly thrilling it was.
Highly recommended: the spot directly under the bait. SO MUCH FUN — I had to scream to express my excitement at the shark face-to-face experience and that super big fish head bait flying overhead.
A face-to-face encounter with a shark up close
Activity Info
Located in the small town of Gansbaai, approximately 2–3 hours' drive from Cape Town. Fee: R2150, including round-trip transfers from Cape Town, lunch, and on-board equipment.
Located in Gansbaai, a place about 2–3 hours' drive from Cape Town.
R2150, including pick up, lunch, and equipment.
Related links:
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Author Tina's underwater photography website: Blue Planet Critters
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