Article by Amanda Evans, Hills of Africa Travel’s CEO
It’s my favorite time of year: Shark Week! So, I found it fitting to share with you my exciting experiences from shark cage diving in South Africa this past May.
I now can’t imagine anything more thrilling than waking up at 4am to board a bus to drive an hour to dive into ice cold water filled with great white sharks. Yes, sounds like a nightmare on paper, but I assure you it was far from it.
The drive to Gansbaai takes about an hour from Cape Town (more if you are picking up more guests along the way) and is a very early start in order to get there in time for some light breakfast and debriefing before you hit the water. But if you can get a good night’s sleep before to stay awake through the drive, it’s really quite beautiful to watch the sunrise over the mountains on the way there.
Upon arrival, you are welcomed into the building where you check in and are then escorted to a hearty breakfast. Representatives from the diving center come around to answer questions and check in with everyone before they depart. They also take some time to talk about the great work they are doing, not just taking people to see sharks, but also educating people, and researching shark patterns and behavior so that we are better informed and can better preserve this incredible marine life for future generations to enjoy.
After a safety briefing, everyone walks down to the water to board the boat, called the Slashfin, named for one of the great whites that frequents the area and that the center has done much research on. Next to diving with the sharks, the ride out on the boat was my favorite. The area this time of the morning, when the water is totally smooth, is absolutely stunning. In the backdrop you see rock islands, mountains, and a vast and mysterious blue ocean—just waiting to be explored!
Once you arrive to the diving area the diving team anchors the boat and passes out the wetsuits. While squeezing yourself into the wetsuit (and I mean squeezing!), they pour fish oils into the water and throw out seal decoys to attract the sharks. And it doesn’t take long to see the first fins breach the water.
The team calls for the first group of volunteers. I’m brave, but no fool. I decide to check out the first group before going down into the chilling water myself. After only a few moments under water a huge great white whips by the cage and everyone jolts out of the water shouting “That was awesome! Did you see that?!”
Ok, NOW I’m ready.
I want to see what they are seeing! Then suddenly, we see a 15-foot monster great white shark swim by. This female was enormous and one of the largest the marine biologists on our boat had ever seen in the area. As she lumbered by the boat, my heart stopped a second. Maybe I’m not as anxious to jump into the water as I thought! But she was incredible to watch. The way that many tons of fish can slowly glide through the water and then quickly lung toward a seal decoy was pretty cool.
When it finally came my turn to get into the water, I was suddenly less afraid of the sharks and more afraid of the frigid water. I had never been in a wetsuit before this, so I had no idea what to expect. As I started to step down the ladder into the water, water started seeping through my boots and the sting of the ice cold water hit me. I looked up in panic at the boat guide and said, “It’s filling with water!” She smiled and said, yes, it’s supposed to. You’ll warm up soon.”
Embarrassed, I quickly climbed down into the cage shivering. And then, within a few seconds, I started to feel warm again—like magic! Except my uncovered hands were still pretty cold. Being in the cage is a totally different perspective than from the boat. You can’t see the sharks way out in the water like you could on top of the deck, so you patiently wait for instructions when the sharks are near enough for diving under to see them.
Then you hear it: “DIVERS DOWN AND LOOK LEFT!” As I take a deep breath and go under, not 2-feet away from me is a great white swishing by. As she whips past I swear she winks at me. Then, her tail taps the cage. WOW! Then, we have the same reaction as the first group. Everyone bolts up from the water, shouting with excitement. We luckily got to relive that at least a dozen more times while I was in the cage.
In fact, my boyfriend was able to get it all on camera – check it out:
When the time comes to get out of the water, the dive team quickly rescues you from your wetsuit and greets you with hot tea and dry blankets. Did I really just do that? Did I seriously get in the water with real sharks? Yup. And no doubt about it, I would do it again.
On the ride back, we swing by Seal Island to see a common hunting ground for our new friends, where hundreds of seals lazily sun on the rocks. The return to the Center allows for some time to change into dry clothes and enjoy a hot lunch, and, of course, watch a highlight video the team quickly shot while we were out on the water. It’s pretty fun to have the instant gratification of seeing everyone’s reactions.
Between naps on the ride back, we stop for frequent views off a high cliff that looks out onto the ocean. I caught a glimpse of hang gliders diving off the cliffs and catching one of the very strong winds Cape Town is known for. And I thought to myself, “Sure, you can jump off a cliff, but could you swim with sharks?”
