Cage Diving with Great White Sharks

Africa, Cape Town, Garden Route, South Africa, Travel, , , , , , 93 Comments

What adventure is no South African adventure complete without? Shark cage diving of course!

When I was about 9 years old, my dream was to one day become a marine biologist, working in South African waters and studying the magnificence that is Great White Sharks. That dream stayed with me well up until the last few years of high school, before my true passion was realized in the form of midwifery. Despite choosing not to pursue a career in marine biology, my interest and love of arguably the world’s most misunderstood creature has not yet dwindled.

I had shark cage dived before in my home state. Port Lincoln is a 9 hour drive from my home, and is a South Australian hotspot for viewing Great White Sharks. However, that was years ago, and those trips are seriously pricey. So with just a few days left in Cape Town, it only seemed fitting that I would head out in search of a second Great White encounter.

I went out with a company called Great White Shark Tours. Most companies operating near Gansbaai are pretty similar in operation, so the reason I really chose Great White Shark Tours was the fact that they had a ‘Backpacker Special’. Essentially, if you are staying one of their affiliated hostels, you get a discounted rate, and it just so happened that the Green Ele was included on this list. I paid R850 ($85) plus a small fee for the transfers between Cape Town and Gansbaai. I should note however, that this price has since increased to R950 ($95).

It was an early morning start and a couple hours drive out of Cape Town. I spent most of the drive snoozing and arrived in Gansbaai feeling wide awake and more than a little bit excited. We were given safety advice, a rundown of how the trip would proceed, tips to avoid feeling seasick and given hefty warnings about not putting any limbs out of the cage and how we would be in significant trouble if we attempted to touch the sharks.

Not long after we were out on the boat and I was getting more and more excited.

The weather was pretty average that day, it was very overcast and grey. We were warned that because of the storm that has passed not long ago, that all the sediment from the sea floor would be dispersed in the water and would decrease water visibility. I must admit, I wasn’t too fussed about this. Crappy weather or not, I just wanted to see some sharks.

And see sharks, is what I did. Upon arriving at the dive spot there was already a huge Great White waiting to say hello!

The staff running the boat then needed 8 people in the first group to get in the cage. It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that I was the first person on the entire boat to run downstairs to the back of the cage and put my hand up high. Four other people followed suit but the staff needed to do some serious coaxing to get another three people to fill the cage. Apparently people are scared of sharks. Who knew?

We quickly got in our wetsuits and plonked ourselves on the side of the cage. The shark had decided to go elsewhere for a bit, so we had to wait around until he or another shark decided to make an appearance. The water wasn’t overly cold but when you are standing in the cage without moving around, you get cold pretty quickly, so we all sat on the side to wait.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long to get up close and personal with a shark!

It might sound insane, but when I saw these sharks, I didn’t feel even an ounce of fear. Not once did my pulse increase. No extra adrenaline pumped through my veins. At no time was I scared. Just amazed and in awe of the beauty of these creatures.

Remember earlier how I mentioned that touching the sharks was against the rules?

Yeah, well, as it turns out, I’m not very good at following rules. The third and final shark I saw from within the cage came very close to me. So close I could touch.

So that’s kinda what I did.

This shark had his fin right there and I was able to touch it, just for a second. He didn’t react or try to bite me, he just kept on swimming.

Luckily upon exiting the cage, none of the staff seemed to have noticed, and the people standing beside me in the cage didn’t mention it once we had gotten out of the water, but instead waited to tell me how insane I am until after we had gotten off of the boat.

THE LOWDOWN

Hostel: Green Elephant Backpackers
Camera: GoPro Hero
Budget: R150 ($15) per night for an eight bed dorm
Remember: Anti sea-sickness tablets
Shark Cage Diving: R950 for the Backpackers Special, plus transfer fees from Cape Town

So, do you agree with my fellow divers? Am I just a little bit insane for touching a Great White Shark?

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30-something year old Australian backpacker writing her way around the world.

93 thoughts on “Cage Diving with Great White Sharks”

  5. “So, do you agree with my fellow divers? Am I just a little bit insane for touching a Great White Shark?”

    Perhaps, but it’s also true to your general form, so we’re not surprised 😉

    Reply

  10. Daughter of mine, why am I not surprised? So proud of you in so many ways, even if you make me more than a little jumpy sometimes.
    Way more ‘cojones’ than your father……I’ll settle for motorcycles at 180mph thanks!

    Reply

  17. Yes. Yes you are insane. Cannot believe you did that! Looks like an anazing experience never the less (I might not have had the guts to do that by the way). Super jelous! Also, I cannot help but read your blogs in my poor attempt of an Australian accent haha! Look forward to your next blog

    Reply

    1. Ha! My Aussie accent isn’t even impressive! I’m from Adelaide and our accents down here are typically very soft. People often mistake me for being English!
      Thankyou for reading! I can’t wait to share more adventures.

      Reply

      1. It’s strange you say that because I’m from England and people really do my understand what I’m saying! And I’m only from Manchester it’s not like my accent is hard to understand!!! But yeah I always look forward to reading yours

  20. This is one of my dreams! I’m quite envious 😉 glad you had a great time, hopefully I’ll get to cage dive with sharks one day too!

    Reply

  27. “Apparently people are scared of sharks. Who knew?” – that had me laughing. You, my dear, are one brave woman!! My adrenaline was pumping reading this.. Glad you didn’t get in trouble for the sneaky fin touch! x

    Reply

  29. Awesome! I would totally want to do this, and I can’t say I wouldn’t want to touch the fin. Probably not anything else, but what’s a little shark high-five, right?

    Reply

    1. Exactly! How many people can say they’ve high fived a shark! Hopefully one day you can have a sneaky little shark fist pump too!

      Reply

      1. Skydiving! I know it’s quite common but I’m just dying to do that 🙂 if I ever had the chance to cage dive with sharks though I would defiantly jump at the chance 🙂 x x x

  31. My husband and I recently did a shark cage dive with Galapagos sharks. It was amazing!! After doing that, I would love to cage dive with Great Whites. Looks like such an exhilarating experience!

    Reply
  37. Pingback: Is South Africa safe for solo travel? | Travelling The World Solo

    1. I love shark docos! I’ve been a fan of sharks ever since I saw one as a child 😊 you should both do a cage dive when you get the chance!

      Reply

  40. What a story! Your lack of fear is amazing. Glad to read this as my husband and I are going to South Africa at the end of this year and he has been trying to convince me to do this dive with him. I’m not sure if i’ll have mustered up the courage by then, but your story definitely helps. 🙂

    Reply

  43. Admiration your way! I love that you did this! My 2nd love of life is being in water and I’m pretty gutsy. But this is CRAZY & I love it!!!!

    Reply

      1. Yes! You have me inspired! I’m so happy when I get to see people live out their dreams! <3

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