Shark Cage Diving Boat Trip from Gansbaai

Gansbaai and Kleinbaai, the shark capital of the Cape

Gansbaai is a fishing town on the Overberg coast about two hours south-east of Cape Town, and its small harbour at Kleinbaai, in Van Dyks Bay, is the launch point for shark cage diving. Offshore, the cold Benguela current meets the warm Agulhas current, the sea is rich in fish and seals, and that is why sharks have patrolled these waters for as long as anyone remembers. Shark cage diving from Gansbaai is a short boat ride from the harbour, so you spend more time with the animals and less time travelling.

How to get to Gansbaai: from Cape Town the drive follows the mountains and the Overberg coast and takes about two hours, which the transfer option on this page covers with pickup from your hotel; from Hermanus it is about forty minutes along the coast. The base at Kleinbaai has a reception where the briefings and meals take place, changing rooms, restrooms and a curio shop, and the boat departs from the slipway a few minutes' walk away.

Dyer Island and Shark Alley

A few kilometres from Kleinbaai lie Dyer Island, a protected breeding colony of African penguins and seabirds, and Geyser Rock, home to a vast colony of Cape fur seals. The channel between them is known as Shark Alley, because the seals draw sharks that hunt along its edges, and this is where the boat anchors when conditions allow. Great white sharks made Gansbaai famous, and bronze whaler sharks, sleek and copper-coloured, are now the most frequently seen species on many days; other sharks and rays also pass through.

Shark numbers vary from season to season and from year to year, and the crew explains what has been seen recently and why. The best time to visit Gansbaai for shark cage diving is the cooler half of the year, from about April to September, when visibility is often better and great whites are more regularly recorded, although sharks can be seen in any month. Sightings are never guaranteed, and the crew works patiently to attract the animals using responsible, approved methods.

The cage dive: how it works

The cage is a sturdy steel structure attached to the side of the boat, floating at the surface with a bar to hold and a viewing section just below the water line. You wear a wetsuit and mask; there is no scuba equipment and no need to swim. When the crew calls a shark, you take a breath, duck below the surface for a few seconds and watch it pass, often within arm's length of the bars, then surface and breathe. Groups of a few people enter the cage at a time, so everyone who wants to dive gets several turns.

Is shark cage diving safe? The cage never leaves the side of the boat, the crew supervises every entry and exit, and the full briefing explains everything before you board. The water is cold, around twelve to seventeen degrees, which is why wetsuits are provided and sessions in the cage are kept short. Cameras with waterproof housings can be used inside the cage.

On the boat: for divers and for watchers

Not everyone has to enter the cage. Many guests, including children and anyone who prefers to stay dry, spend the trip on the upper deck, where the view of a shark approaching the boat is often better than from inside the cage. The boat has a covered area, restrooms and a crew member pointing out seals, seabirds and, from June to November, the southern right whales that calve in these bays. The time at sea is usually two to three hours depending on conditions.

Motion sickness is the most common problem on these trips, because the boat anchors and rolls in the swell. If you are at all prone to it, take a tablet about an hour before boarding, eat a light breakfast and stay on deck in the fresh air. Trips run through the year, but the sea decides: the final go-ahead and your exact time are confirmed the afternoon before, after a weather check, and a trip may be moved for safety.

The penguin sanctuary and the full day

The day begins at the base with breakfast or lunch, depending on your departure time, and a briefing about the sharks, the cage and safety. After the trip there is a debrief, hot drinks and a light lunch, and a visit to the African penguin and seabird sanctuary next to the harbour, where injured and oiled birds from Dyer Island are rehabilitated and released. The sanctuary visit takes about thirty minutes and is a gentle, educational end to an adrenaline-filled morning.

Allow about six hours for the whole experience at Kleinbaai, or around ten hours with the return transfers from Cape Town, which run along one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the country. The conservation fee is compulsory and paid locally; it is not included in the tour price. Bring a towel, swimwear to wear under the wetsuit, warm clothes for afterwards and a card or cash for the fee and the shop.