Diving With Sharks

What comes to mind first when someone mentions a great white shark?

Is it diving with sharks in their natural environment, like a number of other adventure enthusiasts?

Or is it images of a big grey predator with rows of sharp teeth, dorsal fin protruding out of the water, ready to attack the next available surfer?

I wouldn’t want to come across a great white by accident. As I mentioned, they do have rows and rows of sharp teeth.

Nevertheless, most people who have already went diving with sharks, find these animals exude power and grace rather than instilling fear.

Even people who were initially wary of diving with sharks, bubble over with enthusiasm and awe as soon as they remove their mouthpiece upon emerging from the water and the cage.

Australia's Rodney Fox invented the underwater cage after being attacked by a shark in the 1960's. Now divers and non-divers alike can safely view wild great white sharks up close and personal.

For years now, the most popular destinations to go shark cage diving have been Dyer Island (Gansbaai, South Africa) and the Neptune Islands near Adelaide, Australia. However, in recent years Isla Guadalupe in Mexican waters has surfaced as another top destination offering crystal clear waters for most of the year.

To form an objective view of what it’s really like to have only a few metal bars between yourself and an animal capable of biting you in half, read on.

You don’t have to search all over the net to find reviews by people who've gone diving with sharks in the past. I have extracted the highlights of previous divers' trip reports below.

Recently Added Review!! Diving with sharks delivered 6 different individuals on Ilse's trip, on a day with perfect weather.

She made use of the shuttle from Cape Town to get to the Gansbaai shark cage dive and seems to be hooked as she talks about a return visit...

Recently Added Review!! Emma felt the shark diving + lunch + one night's dorm accomodation was very well priced.

The food wasn't very good and the option to rent an underwater camera overpriced but despite that and the cold water, her backpackers shark dive was a good experience: "surreal, scary, fascinating..."

Recently Added Review!! Tessa saw 6 different great whites on her diving with sharks excursion. The visibility was not great but she says the sharks were lured close enough to see them well.

Recently Added Review!! Westerly winds caused the water to be very murky and virtually 0% visibility under the water.

As far as Marine Dynamics is concerned, they were very happy with their service, food and briefings overall and go into quite a bit of detail as to what you can expect on a day out with them.

While on holiday in Cape Town South Africa, Susanne and her travel companion booked a day to Gansbaai to go diving with sharks. Transport was arranged for them as well as meals which they found of very good quality.

While the weather wasn't great in the morning when boats usually launch, it didn't deter them and they still went out a bit later in the day, seeing 7 great white sharks in total.

Now that she's been there and done that, see what Susanne thinks you should look for in a shark cage diving operator in the full report of her Marine Dynamics experience »

"I volunteered for the White Shark Projects for a month and thoroughly enjoyed every minute..well except for the fishy chum smell! :-) It was sooo amazing to get so close to the sharks both on the boat and in a cage in the water.

White Shark Projects team were wonderful, very knowleadgable individuals who taught me how to work with these awesome predators safely. I had a blast and would love to go back with them in the future.

They were very professional and always respected the sharks they were working with, unlike a couple of the other boats who I also experienced. They were more interested in putting on a show, unlike White Shark Projects, who showed the true nature of the sharks, and put across the importance of conservation.

A real adrenaline rush. Enlightening. Fun. It was FANTASTIC!!:-)"

Diving with sharks can be quite a scary adventure, from a rough ride out at sea to being confined to the cage while great whites circle around you.

Gansbaai is situated more or less 180km outside Cape Town. The Irvings found a transport service that would take them from Cape Town directly to their destination during a fairly quick internet search. Once there they were shown video containing appropriate conduct to ensure safety while out with the sharks and then they boarded for their boat ride to Sea Island.

Blake writes that although this truly marks the experience of a lifetime, it can be quite dangerous depending on the conditions out at sea and encourages potential cage divers to make sure they feel entirely safe with the circumstances before venturing out, especially after the incident where a boat was capsized in the area only a short while after they were there…

"Overall we really enjoyed the day out seeing the great whites. Diving with sharks is a once a in a life time activity.

However, we were under the impression that the "diving" was done with surface supplied air regulators. As a qualified diver I was looking forward to a relaxed observation of the sharks from within the cage using this sort of equipment. But it turned out to be a series of rather frenetic "dives" by holding your breath under water. If I'd known that was the case I would have either booked another company or taken my own snorkel. Snorkels were not supplied by the company, which is a shame as it would have greatly improved the experience.

I don't think their website made it clear how the "diving" was to be performed.

I would advise all future clients to make certain exactly what the dive actually entails, how it is to be performed and what equipment is provided, and NOT make assumptions from the pictures and text on the websites."

"We booked online. Unfortunately because of the time of the year we didn't go to Shark Alley as the sharks are closer to shore in December. There were approx 15 people on the boat.

The first shark appeared after approx 10 mins. They then put the cage in the water and myself and 2 kids got in first (6 people in the cage). We had to wait about 15 mins for the next shark to arrive. Water was pretty cold but bearable.

When a shark appears the crew tell you where it is coming from and then when it gets close you submerge in the cage, holding your breath. We saw several sharks and one swam right up to the cage. We could have touched it.

The second group in lucked out or not depending on how you look at it. One of their sharks grabbed the bait and actually swam right into the cage (not literally). Everyone was screaming. In total we saw 9 different sharks including a baby.

After we returned to shore we had hot soup and watched a DVD of the trip which was very good and a nice reminder to buy.

Would definitely do it again. Quite a thrill, even seeing the sharks from the boat and we were so lucky to see so many sharks in the off season.

This was the 3rd time my husband and daughter had tried to do this and it was 3rd time lucky. The first time in Mossel Bay only 1 shark turned up and they didn't get to go in the water. The 2nd time the trip was canceled due to bad weather."

As part of their 3-week holiday Linda and Keith were travelling past Gansbaai anyway and decided to go diving with sharks. They found their dive operator here on Top Adventure Tours while researching it on the web.

"After breakfast and a safety briefing, we went out to sea. We were a total of 10 passengers and 5 could go into the cage at a time. We saw two sharks… it was an amazing experience. The weather was very warm and the visibility very good. It was not scary - more magical and the sharks very majestic.

After a pleasant journey back to land we watched an informative DVD while enjoying refreshments. They sent a copy of it to the UK which we still get great pleasure from watching.

We were very happy with White Shark Diving Co - they were fantastic. We also highly recommend the Anlo Guest House.

We loved South Africa, so diverse. We will be coming back hopefully next year; the shark dive will be on the top of our agenda!"

When the skipper called for the first passenger to enter the cage, Pamela volunteered. Since there are no snorkels involved when cage diving with sharks, it is a matter of holding one's breath for as long as possible, and she did just that when she saw the 3.5m female swimming around the cage.

They also saw some young sharks, roughly 2m in length, not quite as large as the grown great whites but equally impressive.

It was the experience of seeing these sharks in their watery home that got to Pamela and she is of the opinion that they were just as curious about the divers as the divers were about them.

She says that they had a nice small lunch on the boat before another round of dives, this time being visited by a male no less than 4.5m in length. The sheer size of this great white dazzled her, making the day truly astounding and unforgettable...

"My family and I decided to go on a holiday to the Western Cape, maybe do some activities and trips. One of the most enjoyable and memorable trip we partook in was the diving with sharks in Gansbaai (a small fishing village about 2 hours drive from Cape Town)!

We booked our trip on the net before our departure, as everything is weather dependant in the Cape, and obtained a place with Shark Diving Unlimited.

What an absolutely great company to have take you out! The tour starts about 7:30/8:00am where you get breakfast, briefed on the tour and then, you're out to sea for about 5-6 hours.

They start throwing 'chum' into the water to entice the sharks over. In about 10 minutes we had about 8 sharks in the vicinity! Wow, it was great! The great thing about the trip was that you could either just watch from the boat or as an added bonus you could slip on a wetsuit and jump in.

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a trip of a lifetime!"

Wayne and his fiancée enjoys watching sharks on Discovery Channel's Shark Week. The program awakened a dream in them to see these predators up close in real life.

So when they booked a holiday to South Africa, diving with sharks was on the itinerary. The company they went with was "outstanding" and Wayne's advice to those contemplating a cage dive, is to "just do it!"

Read all about the day that time stood still for him... » Wayne's white shark diving trip

Here's a scuba diver with a particular liking for sharks. Nicky researched the best time to go diving with sharks, great whites in particular, and decided to book her trip in the middle of the South African winter.

There's method in her madness because during July chances of seeing the sharks during a dive is virtually 100%.

She gives an interesting account of her two cage dives, saying it's "the most brilliant thing" she's done yet... » Nicky's great white shark dives

John recommends that everyone rather go diving with sharks in their natural environment than to go and view them in captivity. That's one way you can contribute to this apex predator's conservation.

During his visit to South Africa, he and his 10-year old daughter went cage diving at Gansbaai as well as False Bay and saw plenty of great whites. He compares the two areas and gives great feedback in general about what the whole experience is really like.

Find out more about wet suits, cages, logistics, touching a great white and what item John would purchase for his return trip. » Four days of shark cage diving

Zarius has been shark cage diving with this company twice already and was impressed with the operation each time.

He particularly likes the fact that the boat is small (ten people maximum) which means that each person can spend a lot more time in the water watching great whites.

He also found them to be eco-friendly in their conduct. » Sink your teeth into this great white shark diving review

While Helga preferred to stay in the boat, her son went into the Shark Lady's new "bubble" cage to enjoy diving with sharks.

They saw a number of great whites, in groups of two or three.

All in all it was a very nice outing for Helga and a high-adrenalin experience for her son. » More in her Hermanus South Africa trip report

The cage was big enough to comfortably accommodate five people without leaving anyone short of a viewing point. A tuna head was used to lure the sharks to the cage, along with what basically consists of seal defecation to further tickle the scent senses of the great whites.

Chris was not entirely chuffed with the experience because after nearly two hours of acclimatising to the sharks and enjoying their sight, a four metre great white swam right at the cage, hitting Chris in the head with the tip of its nose while he was wondering where to position his feet. After this scary incident he got out while Becs and Sarah remained caged, enjoying the experience to the full…

Wanting to take photos under water Alison requested air supply for their trip, this was never provided; she were also promised that only eight passengers are allowed onboard per dive excursion and that one can go back to the cage for more than one viewing per trip. Much to their dismay, the boat was crammed with eighteen visitors on their trip and there was not enough time for more than one viewing per group of four since the boat had another trip to rush back to shore for.

Alison writes that although the outing truly was an amazing and exciting experience it was near impossible to take good photographs while being expected to hold her breath under water and that she was quite disgruntled with UnrealDive's inability to deliver as per agreement…

Once in the water, his fear turned to awe and now he can't wait to do another cage dive... » Great white shark cage diving with Ryan

Recently Added Review!! False Bay and this operator are known for offering breach trips meaning the sharks' predation behaviour on seals. Tom did indeed see this in front of his own eyes and says it was a "horrible yet impressive natural sight".

Recently Added Review!! After 3 excursions with this operator, Richard concludes the people of Apex are passionate and professional.

This was Christie's third time diving with Shark Diver and she was pleasantly surprised by the extent to which this last trip of hers outshone all her previous experiences diving with sharks.

On their way to the diving point, they saw a pod of at least fifty pilot whales swimming around their boat and following them along for a while. In her opinion this was a sign of good things to come.

The first shark was within sight even before their cage was set up for the first dive, and every single dive made for excitement and thrill enough to stand in disbelief. It is no surprise that she highly recommends getting into a cage to marvel at these great animals.

She reports that while every dive was worth it, with the great whites being completely unabashed in their bountiful appearance around the cage, one incident in particular stood out way above the rest. While in the cage she was called out to witness what was for the first time being captured on film in this area: a great white attacking a seal right in front of them...

"I'd been dreaming of throwing myself in a cage surrounded by great whites since I saw my first documentary on a nascent cable station 20 years ago.

I couldn't have asked for a better diving with sharks experience. When I got seasick (the first time in my life, and I lived on a ship for three months), the CEO brought me water and food to my cabin. The galley catered to my vegetarian diet. And, best of all, I saw more fins and teeth in five days than I'd seen on that crappy cable program.

Our dive master, Luke, made everything run so smoothly that I never once was afraid, even when swells made getting into the cage quite tricky (especially when you're gracefully challenged, like myself). I got so close to great whites that had I been stupid enough to try, I could have reached out and petted them. The water at Isla Guadalupe has remarkable clarity, and you can spot the unmistakable outline of a white when it's still nearly 80 feet away. Watching a 16-footer glide inches below my feet was an experience I'll carry with me to my grave."

Trip rating: Beyond Compare

Seeing great whites in the wild has been a dream of Raffin's for a while. He tried diving with sharks at the Farallon Islands in 2005 which was a very disappointing experience.

However this trip to Guadalupe was the fulfillment of his dream.

The boat itself was great - hot showers, flush toilets and rooms with air-conditioning. There were a total of 20 people on board.

The crew was excellent, especially the chef who catered for Raffin's special dietary requirements as well as prepare a cake for a honeymoon couple.

Guests had the opportunity to cage dive for an hour at a time. The initial briefing on diving with sharks was very thorough and Luke always put the safety of all guests first.

Raffin was blessed with great whites at each but one of his cage dives, and not just fleeting visits either. Views from the boat were also excellent.

They saw dolphins and snorkelled with Australian sea lions until dusk on the first day, when it was time for the first cage dive to commence. They saw nine different great whites over the three days and she says that one is so amazed by the sight of the sharks that the cold water and the rocking of the cage does not even register upon viewing a great white up close.

The trip in its entirety was very educational and highly enjoyable, the food was good; for her and Mike it has sparked a new fascination with diving all together and Rodney's fascinating accounts of his encounters with sharks made it all the more interesting…

Recently Added Review!! "Awe-inspiring experience ... close enough to touch ... perfectly designed ... like fighter jets ... amazed by their beauty" - Grant was obviously deeply touched by the experience.

He was also very impressed with the dive operator and highly recommends them for a Bahamas reef shark dive »

Recently Added Review!! Julie Anne actually did her open water diving qualification on this trip when her group was fortunate enough to swim with whale sharks during training.

She explains why she chose Big Blue Diving and that they turned out to be authentically eco conscious and had the animals' best interests at heart.

Although her trip was not geared to find a whale shark in Thailand, it seems the odds in that area are pretty good in finding them during your dives.

Recently Added Review!! The visitor centre runs a dedicated service for people who want to swim with whale sharks and groups of up to 6 people go out to snorkel with these huge fish.

Rachel's review is nice and detailed, and exciting as she describes eyeballing whale sharks in Philippines »

Source: Review submitted

"I went for diving vacation to Playa del Carmen, looking to have some good dives. My dream came true when I asked if there were any sharks with which you can dive.

I didn't know that the bull sharks go to there every year during the winter months and that you can dive with them without cage.

Is sounds scary but as soon as you have the view of these amazing animals, so graceful and powerful cross in front of you, all fears vanish and just the astonishment stays.

I had the luck of seeing them twice: first dive 4 sharks, and the next 6 sharks. I was pretty lucky to dive with a really nice dive master Gerardo Rodriguez. It's a deep dive of 30mts so you need to dive with experienced divers, and don't mention there are people who could be scared of diving with sharks.

The only thing I can say is that this is one of the best things have ever happened in my life, I just repeat the shark diving last March and I will do it again in December [2009]."

With 75 dives under his belt, Danie was very eager to meet underwater predators face to face. On a dive at the popular and high quality diving destination Sodwana Bay, his dream finally came true...

Species seen: White Tip Reef Shark (no cage used)

» Sodwana Bay diving with sharks adventure