Don't Doubt: Go Great White Shark Cage Diving
Ryan Herbert from Sydney Australia took a Cape Town day trip to Gansbaai for great white shark cage diving during his South African holiday in December 2004. Here's how it went:
I booked my great white shark cage diving trip with White Shark Projects - a family member recommended them.
On arrival we were offered a light breakfast.
Then they gave a very comprehensive safety briefing covering all aspects from the certification of the cage and the boat to fitting life jackets etc.
The information about the sharks was provided in great detail and also the work that White Shark Projects undertakes to further understand these creatures.
There was nothing I didn't like about them.
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A diving certificate was not required for the great white whark cage diving.
They used a 36 foot boat and we were around 16 passengers on board. We launched into the water and took a 25 minute journey to the dive site and the cage was then lowered into the water.
Lunch was supplied onboard.
Fortunately the motion of the ocean does not affect me, but there were several very ill people onboard!
I was shaking uncontrollably getting into the cage from nervousness so I cannot say the strong wind had any bearing on me!
Three people could fit into the cage at a time, and it didn't feel like you were squashed in.
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To attract the sharks to the boat, a scent was created through chumming and a head of a skip jack tuna was dragged through the water.
The visibility was just good enough to get a glimpse of the sharks, around 5 meters.
We encountered 5 great white sharks varying in length from 2-5.5 metres.
I was standing on the viewing platform listening to the skipper when suddenly a shark appeared for the first time. I was shocked at the shear size of the animal and can honestly say I was terrified at the idea of having to climb into the cage. I knew that this opportunity may only come around once in a lifetime so I suited up and jumped in, spent half an hour and was gob smacked at the power that you get to experience when you are under the water in their domain.
A truly exhilarating experience that I will never forget.
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The only disappointment was having to go back home, I truly wish that I had stayed in Gansbaai for a few days to spend more time at sea.
If I could give future travellers any tips, I'd say pack an underwater camera and make sure you take tablets if you suffer from sea sickness, it's a rough ride out.
The most useful item that I took on the boat for the great white shark cage diving was a big jacket; it gets chilly out at sea.
To rate the experience out of 10, I would have to say 10. I would love to experience this again.
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