Shark Cage Diving and Viewing with transport from Cape Town
Cape Town

Price: Z3,660
Min age: 5
Rating 4.48 / 5 [462 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Travel bucket list idea:
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
|In the waters off Cape Town it’s the Great White Shark, carcharodon carcharias, that rules the roost, and admiring this remarkable predator in its natural environment – from the safety of a sturdy steel cage, of course – is a bucket list experience you’ll never forget.
Spacious speedboats leave Kleinbaai harbour (two hours’ drive from Cape Town) in the early morning, setting course for Dyer Island and the famous ‘Shark Alley’. Here, chum (fish bait) is released into the water, the cage is lowered and adventurers don their wetsuits. When a shark comes to investigate, it’s into the water you go.
Note – you don’t have to go in the water to enjoy this trip. Watching these majestic, and curious, creatures glide around from the security of the boat is also worth going for.
From the editor: at time of writing, sightings are less than they used to be following the arrival of two orcas (that prey on the great whites). No one is sure how long the orcas will stay… so check before you book.
A range of cage-diving operators run trips from Kleinbaai harbour, with most offering early-morning transfers from Cape Town that return in the afternoon. If you want to self-drive, Kleinbaai is a two-hour drive from Cape Town. Follow signs for Hermanus and the R43 from the N2 freeway.
Trips last roughly five hours, and operators provide a simple lunch and drinks on board. Equipment is provided, so all you’ll need is a swimming costume, towel and courage.Take seasickness tablets if you are susceptible. You’re a few hours on the ocean and there can be swell that sways the boat.
Operators have minimum age policies, ranging from 6-12 years – less if kids stay in the boat.
Cage-diving trips run all year round, seven days a week. Morning trips depart around 7am, afternoon trips depart around 1pm.
The best sightings are to be had in winter (May to October) when the visibility is best and sharks hunt for seals around the islands. In summer (January to March) Great Whites tend to hunt inshore, away from the islands where the cage diving takes place.
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