Great white shark cage diving at Gansbaai

Great white shark cage diving at Gansbaai is a surface-supplied wildlife encounter run from Kleinbaai Harbour, about 165 km east of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Boats head a short distance out to the channel between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, an area known as Shark Alley, where white sharks hunt Cape fur seals. Operators anchor and use bait and chum to draw sharks close to a cage fixed to the side of the boat, and groups enter the cage in turns wearing a wetsuit, mask and breathing line or holding breath between surges. No diving certification or swimming fitness test is required, which makes the activity suitable for most healthy adults and teenagers, although operators set their own minimum age and the cage water is cold, typically 12 to 16 degrees Celsius. Wetsuits, masks, weights and hot drinks are supplied, while visitors bring warm layers, a windbreaker, seasickness tablets and a waterproof camera case. Established operators at Kleinbaai include Marine Dynamics, linked to the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, White Shark Projects and Apex Shark Expeditions. Boats carry marine biologists or trained guides who explain shark behaviour, carry first-aid and oxygen equipment, and give a safety briefing covering cage entry, how to exit and what to do if the sea turns rough. If a skipper judges conditions unsafe, the trip is cancelled or rescheduled, and the harbour and boat radios allow evacuation to Kleinbaai. The clearest water and most sharks are generally reported from May to October, though trips run year-round. Strong south-easterly winds, heavy swell and poor visibility are the main reasons for cancellation, so a flexible schedule helps. The day normally includes an early hotel pick-up in Cape Town, a light breakfast at the harbour, two to three hours on the water and a return around mid-afternoon. Prices are roughly R2,500 to R3,500 per person, and a conservation or marine levy can be added by some operators.