Shark Cage Diving

The best time of the year for white shark diving in Gansbaai is from April to September. Four to five sharks are usually encountered in a day with as many as 18 sharks having been encountered on some outings. White Shark Diving Co. has a 98% success rate in terms of daily sightings during the high season. Great white sharks prefer a diet of game fish and from May to October the latter are in abundance. Great whites are also known to feed on seals and carrion. October to December, being the pupping season for some 30,000 seals on Geyser Island, results in an ample food supply of drowned pups in the surrounding coastal waters. Although great whites may be sighted during the low season, the abundance of food in the area makes luring to the boat more difficult.

The water temperature ranges between 55° and 65° F and divers take turns in the cage, each staying approximately 15-20 minutes. A diver can expect to make two to three dives per day if good weather, sea conditions, shark activity and visibility prevails. Visibility is between 4m to 6m on average, but may exceed 15m on a clear day. Sharks may brush the cage, but to date an attack on the shark cage has not been reported.