Great White Shark Diving in Gaansbaai, South Africa

It had been such a whirlwind couple of days, but I finally arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. From cancelled flights to missing luggage, I was so excited when the plane touched down in the Mother City.

It took me a few moments to adjust to driving on the left side of the road while sitting on the right and using my left hand to control the gears. I was so thankful that my sister suggested I rent an automatic transmission because I could not imagine trying to manage shifting gears.

Travelling the N2, I was warned not to stop nor pull over until I reached my hotel in Seaport. Apparently this area is a high crime district, but driving in the middle of the night and in the rain, I wasn’t able to notice my surroundings. I finally reached the area of Seaport but soon found myself lost after entering the roundabout. Luckily, I had been pulled over in a random checkpoint and a policeman directed me towards the hotel which was only a couple of blocks away. The hotel check in was quick and I was so happy to have finally reached my room. I had only three hours before the shuttle would arrive to take me for my Great White Shark Dive.

I struggled to turn off the hotel alarm clock when it went off at 3AM. I had only thirty minutes until the bus came to pick me up from the lobby and take me to the east coast of South Africa for my Great White Shark Dive. It was a two and a half hour drive before we reached Kleinbaai where we would board a boat for Gaansbaai, south of Hermanus. I grabbed my backpack with an extra change of clothes and was fully prepared for the trip, with the exception of my nerves.

There were two passengers in the van so I found a seat in the back and used my backpack as a pillow to nap on my way out. The extra half an hour was much needed and I awoke half way through the drive feeling full of exhilaration and a bit of anxiety. There was no backing out now, but to be honest, there were several times that I had thought about it. I just had to remind myself that I had not come all this way to cancel. I could do this.

When we had arrived at the dock, I could immediately smell the ocean and the air was still a chilly 64 degrees. We were provided a safety overview and given a lovely, thick jacket, wetsuit, booties and facemask. We waited for another van of passengers to arrive as we enjoyed a continental breakfast. I was surprised at the number of South Africans on the trip as I would have guessed most of them to be international travelers. I met a couple that were on their third trip so they assured me that I would thoroughly enjoy this adventure.

August is considered the start of winter and while I was hoping the water would not be too cold, it was about 60 degrees. According to our boat captain, this is one of the best times to see the great whites as the water is not as cloudy. Another factor in whether we would even be able to go out for the trip is based on the weather. Storms are prevalent during the early winter months and if the sea is too choppy, we would not be able to set sail. When preparing for this trip, I was well informed that I should allow a few days to be able to reschedule should this happen.

We were more than welcome to go into the cage, but we would also be able to see them from the boat as they are known to breach out of the water. Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is the area where many of them stay at this time during migration. They will remain in the area either a few days or a few weeks, so there is no guarantee to see the sharks. We were very lucky this day.

We began the journey out to the islands and within a quick twenty minutes time arrived at the desired location. The crew waited about an hour before setting out the chum. We learned that the great whites are attracted to such fish as sardines and tuna. With the help of fish oil and mince, we were anxious for the feeding frenzy to begin.

It seemed like hours, but soon we could see the fins of two sharks approaching the vessel. The great whites are not accustomed to the boats and cages and may stay in the area only a few minutes at a time. About 15 minutes after sighting them, eight of us entered the cage. The cage goes below the surface about a foot and a half, while there is space at the top to come out of the water and catch your breath. Our first entry lasted about 10 minutes so that we could ensure that everyone who wanted to go into the cage cold snap a few photos and allow the next group to go down. Because there were several passengers who only wanted to see the sharks from the boat, I spent about a total of thirty minutes in the cage, which was absolutely amazing.

Our trip lasted a total of four and a half hours at sea and this was definitely one of the most invigorating excursions I have ever experienced. I can see how anyone could become addicted to great white shark diving and would absolutely do it all over again.

Have you visited South Africa and experienced great white shark cage diving? I would love to hear from you if you would kindly leave a message in the comments section below. Many thanks for reading about my amazing experience in Gaansbaai and wishing you many Happy Travels!

I would like to thank Adventures for Solo Travelers for the opportunity to visit both South Africa and Namibia. Without booking their tour, I would not have arrived in Cape Town a few days earlier to explore the beauty of this magnificent continent! If you are traveling solo and want to experience luxurious travel at reasonable costs and meet like-minded travel enthusiasts, check out AFS’s website at https://www.afstravelers.com/

What to See and What to Do:

White Shark Diving Company
9 Kus Drive
Kleinbaai
Gansbaai
South Africa
7220
Telephone: +27 82 559 6858

Where to Stay:

Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Sea Point
Arthurs Road, Sea Point, Cape Town
8005, South Africa
Telephone: +27 21 434 3344

Where to Eat:

Harbour House V&A Waterfront
Quay Four, Ground Floor, V&A Waterfront
8005, South Africa
Telephone: +21 418 4744

What to Eat:

Biltong & droewors – game such as springbok which is thinly sliced and air dried (biltong) or air dried sausage (droewors) cured in vinegar, salt, sugar and spices and then hung out to dry
Boerewors – South African sausage made from beef
Bunny chow – a street food where meats spiced with curry are prepared and then placed in buns which are hollowed out
Cape Malay Curry – slaves from Indonesia, India and Malaysia brought their spices to South Africa and their curry includes, saffron, cinnamon and chili
Chakalaka – a vegetable dish made of peppers, onions, carrots, beans and spices, this is a mainstay for South Africans and is served cold.
Pap – South African porridge similar to American grits

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