Shark Cage diving

[truenorth1]

Hello all,

Im heading to SA next month for a hunting safari and am looking into adding a shark cage diving trip. We would like to try to see great whites if thats possible at the end of September? Curious if anyone has any advice on where to go, who to go with, if theres any great whites around this year etc....all advice appreciated as it will be our first trip to SA.

 

[Traveler1]

April through October, Cape Town best time of the year. My buddy and I had booked a trip for August 2001, but a hundred year storm called off the cage dive. Just Google cage dive cape town and you will find multiple outfitters. I wish could offer name but it was to long ago.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Watch some of the Youtube videos on the subject. It will show you what you are paying for. Make sure that is the experience you want before you make your plan.

 

[JimP]

We did it way back in 2015 with Great White Shark Diving and Conservation out of Mossel Bay but t was in early June. It was a fantastic experience going out with them. They anchored just off of a small island that the seals would get up on to warm up, then they would chum the great whites while observers were down in the cage. The view from up on top of the boat was interesting also.

https://whitesharkafrica.com/

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Reach out to @KAROO WILD Safaris as they offers Shark cage dives:

Hunt & Shark Cage Dive Package 2019 With Karoo Wild Safaris

We're offering an exciting hunting and shark cage diving package for 2019. We've been offering this package for the past 6 years and it's a superb way for hunters and couples to combine a hunt with a trip to the beautiful Cape coastline. The package is fully inclusive and includes 5 hunting...

www.africahunting.com

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

@firehuntfish will also be a good resource and person to contact:

Experience Africa With Limcroma Safaris

Limcroma Safari's main lodges are located in the rugged Limpopo Province of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Professional Hunter and outfitter, Hannes Els, founder and owner of Limcroma Safaris, will be your host during your unforgettable African safari vacation. The name Limcroma is derived...

www.africahunting.com

 

[Dr Ray]

There was a movie about cage diving in South Australia
Very very bad results
True story

 

[HuntingGold]

My daughter and I went with Great White out of Mossel Bay and really enjoyed it. That was 2015 or 16. I understand killer whales have moved in and the shark numbers have decreased so you might want to check before booking.

My wife and I hunted with @KAROO WILD Safaris earlier this year then spent a few days with them in Plettenberg Bay. He can assist with the shark dive and any hunting you might wish to do.

 

[Still alive]

I had a trip set up last year out of Cape Town. It was only $300 with lunch included. I had go2 africa travel set it up for us. The bad news was the day after we got there, there was a huge storm that came for that day. We flew home three days later as they wanted to reschedule??? We went to the aquarium instead, not the same?? Cape Town was an awesome place to relax after our ten day safari.

 

[firehuntfish]

Hello all,

Im heading to SA next month for a hunting safari and am looking into adding a shark cage diving trip. We would like to try to see great whites if thats possible at the end of September? Curious if anyone has any advice on where to go, who to go with, if theres any great whites around this year etc....all advice appreciated as it will be our first trip to SA.

Hello @truenorth1,

We were fortunate enough to have done this a few times during the peak of the great whites' presence back in 2009, 2011, and 2013. We have done the cage dive and the trolling trip to get the sharks to breach all of which were incredible experiences! Unfortunately, as mentioned, the great white shark population in South Africa has declined significantly in the last several years. The appearance of killer whales and a declining seal populations have displaced the great whites in many of the areas where they used to flourish in fantastic numbers.

However, they are not all gone and there are still some operators offering tours and cage dive opportunities, but I would advise contacting them to see what the best times are for you to plan a dive. It's worth it even if you only get the chance to see one of these amazing predators up close and personal. If you go, the Gansbaai area is your absolute best bet. This is the location of the famous NatGeo "shark alley" and seal island. I recommend contacting Capt. Brian McFarlane with great White Shark Tours at www.sharkcagediving.net.

Capt. Brian was one of the pioneers in the shark cage dive business. They will also give you an honest, straightforward assessment of your chances of seeing great whites. Good luck!

 

[wesheltonj]

I have done it from Cape Town. It’s a full day trip with drive and “dive.” It’s not really a dive in the cage, but the cage is lowered over the side of the boat and you slip into the top of the cage. The water clarity is not very good and frankly you get a better view of the sharks from the boat deck. You wear a wet suit, but even with the wetsuit it’s still F’ing cold and I mean real F’ing cold.

They chum the water with bait and then have a fake seal tail that they drag around to get the sharks close to the cage. Below is the company my hotel (The Table Bay) in Cape Town booked me with.

Shark Cage Diving In Gansbaai | Sharklady Adventures

Dive with the PIONEERS of the S.A. industry! Small exclusive shark cage diving trips and educational tours. Let the pros give you an experience of a lifetime

sharklady.co.za

 

[MarkB]

We went shark diving Aug 2021 in Gansbaai, had an awesome time. We rented an inexpensive 3 bedroom apartment all with unsuits, ocean view for an amazing price, situated 100ft up the jetty from all the shark boats docked. Our rental was Fairview Accommodation.

The ocean was very rough (15ft+ waves), cold and dirty on our dive day but we went anyway. Prices were extremely cheap, less than $100 Cnd per person and included lunch. Day starts early with safety brief then load boat, all dive boats are basically the same, take out 15 pers, snacks and juice on board. Certainly not fancy, everyone strips and gets their suites on while standing on the deck together, with bad shrinkage. But hey its SA not shy Canada.

Now for the real bad news @HuntingGold is 100% correct=THERE ARE NO GREAT WHITE SHARKS. Look up 2020-2022 info, there are a pod of killer whales that have adapted/learned very well and have eaten or scared off the sharks. I kid you not, they are ripping shark livers out with one precise bite, there is a Nat Geo type show about the whole new prey/whales situation. The restaurant up hill from jetty has the whole story on the wall and openly discusses. Even names of famous now dead liver missing sharks. Scientists were in town while we were there, catching baby sharks from pier at night and putting trackers in them, was educational for us Canadians. The real intel when we were there was there had only been 1 white shark of 12 ft spotted in the whole SA shark diving area in 2 years. There were a few outfitters saying great whites were around but it is BS, the truthful companies told us straight up, great whites were dead or gone. Now we did have a few 12 ft bronze whaler sharks on the baits and within inches of the cage as well as the seals.

Even with the big sharks gone I would still highly recommend a trip, the whalers were still amazing to see. Gansbaai is a small town, great food, good people and was very reasonably priced, (not like Cape Town). Horseback riding on beach or in mountains, penguins close and a good 2-3 day area to stay on route to bigger towns.

MB

 

[CJW]

What's the minimum caliber for killer whale's?

 

[Traveler1]

What's the minimum caliber for killer whale's?

Maybe the sharks need some help. It would about time we humans come to their help. What's a few less killer whales. I would think a good old better 458 Lott would work. Don't want to take anything nice as the salt air rust it immediately.

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

The shark sightings have generally been poor the last couple of years but have improved significantly since June 2022 especially in Mossel Bay and they have regular sightings again with White Shark Africa.

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

https://ewn.co.za/2022/09/25/ct-woman-dies-in-shark-attack-in-plettenberg-bay/amp