GREAT WHITE SHARK: THE FACTS
“Elasmobranchii” have been classified as  Selachii sharks, chimaera sharks and batoids.  It was noted that they were in fact all sharks  and should be called “sharks”, “flat sharks”   (all sand sharks, rays and skates ) and “silver  sharks”.

Did you know that the world has:
     • 488 “shark” species
     • 627 “flat shark” species
     •  63 “silver shark” species

Did you know that Africa has:
     • 332 “shark” species
     • 167 “flat shark” species
     • Unknown number of “silver
       shark” species

Did you know that South Africa has:
     • 167 “shark” species
     • 156 “flat shark” species
     • 13 “silver shark” species

Did you know that in the entire history of scuba diving in South Africa there has been only one recorded fatality of a scuba diver by a Great White? This was in 1991 at Seal Island off Mossel Bay.

Did you know that South Africa was the first country worldwide to declare the Great White a protected species! This was also in 1991. It is illegal to trade in any body part, hunt, fish or kill the Great White, so, don’t expect a Great White’s tooth as a souvenier - you will not find one for sale.

CAGE DIVING: THE FACTS
Your whole day’s diving is spent in the vicinity of the channel (Shark Alley), viewing Great Whites - either from the cage or experiencing the same excitement from the deck of the boat.

DIVE PLAN
Great White Cage Diving is the ultimate,  adrenalin-high adventure. Read about a typical day´s Cage Diving.

Great White Cage Diving is strictly controlled. Call us for a copy of the Code of Conduct

BEST TIMES
Great White Cage Diving is seasonal. The best time of the year is from mid-April to October.

Weather:
The part of the world where Great White cage diving takes place is known as the “Cape of Storms” for very obvious reasons.

The winters are normally wet and miserable whilst the summers, although sunny and hot, are known for the “Cape Doctor” or south easter which blows virtually daily. Our statistics are that you are able to get out to “Shark Alley” the narrow strip of water between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, 12 days out of 30 in the winter months (April through October) and 20 days out of 30 during sumer months (November through March).

So, from the above, you can see that you are taking a bit of a chance, weather wise, by going out for only one day. That is the reason why all our “Great White Encounters” are for a minimum of 4 days.

Seasons:

There are definitely times of the year when the White Sharks are more active and these times are May through October.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the water temperatures. Contrary to what you woud normally expect, the temperature of the water is actually warmer during the winter months (approx. 16 degrees C) than it is during the summer months (approx. 9 degrees C). Sharks prefer the warmer waters and are therefore far more active during the winter than during the summer and, unfortunately, that coincides with the time of year when the weather is at its worst. Also November is when the Cape Fur Seal pups.

The Cape Fur Seals, being the Great White’s main source of food, congregate in their thousands on Geyser Rock, where up to 60 000 can be found during the pupping and mating season, November/December. With this great abundance of food around, it is extremely difficult to attract the sharks to your boat, and if you do, they are just not interested in the bait you have put out to attract their attention - which is hopefully long enough for the divers to get into the cage and view them in their natural surroundings.

So you see, again Mother Nature is not playing ball and providing a good opportunity for a one day’s cage diving with Great Whites.

DIVE QUALIFICATIONS
Great White Cage Diving is open to all certified sports divers. For the non-diver it is exciting to see the procedure - don´t miss out on the experience of a lifetime!

DIVERSIONS
> Whale watch from  June - November (Southern White Whales)
> Visit Cape Agulhas the southernmost tip of Africa
> Explore Grootbos Nature Reserve on foot or on horseback
> Snorkel for abalone/crayfish
> Visit Elim and the 1824 Moravian mission
> Visit Danger Point where the HMS Birkenhead was wrecked in 1852 with the loss of 455 lives and where the proud British Naval Tradition of “Women & Children First” was first used
> Explore the Cape winelands
> Bungee jump the world´s highest commercial jump - 260 metres.