Great White Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai

I'm not really sure what I expected shark cage diving to be like when Chuck booked our excursion in Gansbaai. I wasn't afraid, though my hair stylist in Port Elizabeth spoke at length about how I should be. I suppose I thought it would be a similar experience to the wildlife viewing we'd done so far--sort of a drive by, take a few pictures and leave, kind of thing.

Not exactly.

We arrived at the shop around 8:00 in the morning and were given extensive safety briefings and explanations on what was about to happen. We were two of about 25 people, though many of the people on the boat were not actually diving and instead just wanted to watch family members do it. We were told that sharks had been scarce in the area lately, as orcas (the great white shark's only predator) had been spotted and were scaring them away. The tour operator said we would get our money back if we didn't see any sharks, and after waiting for about 30 minutes out on the open water next to other boats, I had already given up hope we'd see any.

But all of the crew's efforts in chumming the water and throwing out a seal decoy paid off, and two sharks started passing the boat. The crew hurried us into 7mm thick wetsuits, booties, and goggles. Snorkels weren't needed, as we would just hold our breath and duck under the water inside the cage when the sharks came by.

Climbing into the cage attached to the boat was a bit scary, but more than anything else it was cold enough to take my breath away. When the tour guide yelled, "Down down down down down!" and I ducked under the water, I could barely focus on the shark because my brain felt totally frozen.

Still, it was an incredible experience. The shark was within a few feet of us with every pass. It was easy to see his crazy scary teeth and scars all over his body. 

We decided before diving that we were not going to take the GoPro down with us, since we wanted to fully immerse ourselves in the experience and didn't want to waste energy worrying about losing it. But we still got excellent shots from the deck in between dives. It's hard to tell from the photos, but one of the sharks was 11 feet, and the other was closer to 10 feet long.

After everyone had enough to feel satisfied, we went to a nearby island to take a look at the seals that draw the sharks to this particular part of the coast. 

Cold and thrilled, Chuck and I drove back to Cape Town to settle in for our last week in South Africa before heading north.

XOXO,
S&C