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Come Eye to Eye with a Great White as you Cage Dive in Shark Alley
Published by Kristin Cowles, Editor-in-Chief
Country: South Africa 
The Experience
Submerge yourself into the water world of one of the earths most well preserved predators, the great white shark. Enclosed in a ten-foot long aluminum cage and dangling off the side of a dive boat in the cool 57-degree waters of the Indian Ocean, experience a thrill unparalleled by most people's measures, great white shark cage diving. Nestled between Dyer Island and Gansbaai, a fishing village in the Western Cape of South Africa lays Shark Alley, largely regarded by researchers to be one of the best places in the world to view great white sharks. The allure for the migrating great white sharks is the large population of Cape furs seals, a staple in their diet. Although you can view the sharks year round, July through September is best due to an influx in the seal population, which grows to be roughly 60,000 strong around Geyser Rock.
As the crew members lay anchor and toss the chum into the water, you can choose to slip into the immersed cage for a close encounter with these great predators or can you snatch a seat starboard for a more distanced meeting. Submerged viewing is a rather terrifying yet empowering experience, as great white sharks up to 25 feet long skim and knock into the cage as they investigate the bait and maybe those in the cage as well! Another great venture to explore while in the area is whale watching. Dyer Island is a nature reserve accessible only by boat tour and offers not only great viewing spots for humpback whales but also African penguins, dolphins, sharks, Bryde whales, Southern giant petrels and Cape gannets. To earn Danger as a middle name, great white shark cage diving is the experience for you!
As the crew members lay anchor and toss the chum into the water, you can choose to slip into the immersed cage for a close encounter with these great predators or can you snatch a seat starboard for a more distanced meeting. Submerged viewing is a rather terrifying yet empowering experience, as great white sharks up to 25 feet long skim and knock into the cage as they investigate the bait and maybe those in the cage as well! Another great venture to explore while in the area is whale watching. Dyer Island is a nature reserve accessible only by boat tour and offers not only great viewing spots for humpback whales but also African penguins, dolphins, sharks, Bryde whales, Southern giant petrels and Cape gannets. To earn Danger as a middle name, great white shark cage diving is the experience for you!
When to Go to Great White Cage Dive
Although you can great white cage dive all year round, the best time of year to do so is between July to September due to a denser concentration of sharks.
Odds n' Ends
Typical cost of a one day tour ranges between $180 - $280 cnd.
Want a Guide?
- South Africa Self Drive Route 3 - GAPAdventures.com
- Enjoy one of the most spectacular scenic drives in Africa along the Western Cape and renowned Garden Route to the Mother city of Cape Town. Depart "the friendly city" of Port Elizabeth to Plettenberg Bay and spend time exploring the great outdoors at Storms River or hiking or relaxing on the beach in Tsitsikamma National Park. Continue the drive to Oudtshoorn in the arid Klein Karoo region where you can visit the abundant Ostrich farms, wineries and the Cango caves.
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is the ideal accommodation for guests looking for a 5-star lodge in Gansbaai during a holiday in Western Cape, South Africa. ... 2 miles away
The Crayfish Lodge Sea & Country Guest House is one of the West Cape South Africa's best luxury hotel alternatives, providing 5 star accommodation overlooking ... 3 miles away
+ 23 others. Show all.
More Experiences Nearby
- Find a Penguin Playmate in Simonstown, South Africa
- When the sun comes up over False Bay, the African Penguins start to play! Boulders Beach in Simonstown, South Africa is home to the one of the mainland's largest colonies of African Penguins, formerly called Jackass penguins, named so for their donkey-like mating calls! You can sit on a bench overlooking the beauty of False Bay, with over 2,500 curious African Penguin companions at your side. "How romantic," you say? In fact it is. South African Penguins are extremely loyal, generally keeping one mate for several years. What better day to bask in such a bond, than on Valentine's Day. ...57 miles away.
Carpe Diem! Book to do this experience now!
Travel to Gansbaai and enjoy a light breakfast before proceeding to the channel by Dyer Island, a short boat trip of approximately 20 minutes. Named ...
Starting from $133.38 per person.
Starting from $133.38 per person.
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Books and DVDs
- Southern Africa Travel Guide - LonelyPlanet.com
- Southern Africa is as much about howling hyenas in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park as it is about Cape Town's coffee culture.
- South Africa's Great White Shark (Paperback)
- South Africa's Great White Shark is the definitive text for cage divers, marine biologists, tour guides, and photographers, providing in-depth coverage of Great White behavior, ecology, conservation, ecotourism and the truth behind cage diving, chumming and shark 'attacks'.
- Shark Week: 20th Anniversary Collection (2005)
Elsewhere on the Web
- Great White Shark Diving in South Africa - Sharkbookings.com
- This is possibly the greatest thrill that you will ever experience. Just imagine pulling up on the boat in 'Shark Alley', the open stretch of water between the mainland and Dyer Island off Gansbaai, South Africa referred to as the White Shark Diving capital of the world.
- African Shark Eco Charters - Ultimate-Animals.com
- African Shark Eco-Charters, a dynamic professional eco conservation White Shark company runs their shark trips.
- Gansbaai Tourism Travel - GansbaaiInfo.com
- Get away from the hustle and bustle of busy city life, let down your hair, kick off your shoes and come to Gansbaai.
- SouthAfrica.Info
- South Africa's got it all - diverse cultures, abundant wildlife, breathtaking scenery, a climate made for being out in, superb facilities for business and sport - and more.
Media References
- Shark Alley South Africa - ConsciousEarth (blog)
- Here's one I've been looking forward to, in spirit since witnessing the breathtaking footage of Planet Earth, and in practice since first stepping foot in Africa - cage diving with the Great White Sharks.
- Going Nose-to-Nose With a Great White - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Encased inside a ten-foot-long aluminum cage that dangled off the side of the dive boat, submerged up to my neck in 57-degree sea water, I peered with difficulty through a fogged-in scuba mask at the placid Indian Ocean.
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Language Guides
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are some of the languages spoken in South Africa. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!
Discussion
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