Choose Cape Town for your South African shark cage diving adventure

Shark cage diving is considered as an extreme sport which has risen in popularity over the years. While some may think the use of cages while diving underwater is a relatively new, they have been used as early as 1956. Film-maker Jacques Cousteau used a cage while producing a movie. This gave many people the first look into the ocean and sparked human curiosity.

Shark cage diving has been happening in Cape Town since 1996, beginning with Chris Fallows and a friend. Over the years, there have been celebrities that have selected Cape Town as their location of choice to experience shark cage diving including Tiger Woods, Vanessa Williams and Jamie Hyneman from the famous Myth Busters television show. The waters of False Bay in Cape Town have also been the location of the famous Shark Week show – Air Jaws.

Air Jaws is primarily centred around the incredible breaching behaviour displayed by the great white shark during hunting. What isn’t known, is that there are a wide variety of other shark species in the Cape Town waters. Located a mere 45-minutes drive from Cape Town International airport and the city centre, Simon’s Town is an excellent location to experience an all-around marine life experience. This is because Simon’s Town has a wide variety of shark species, such as the bronze whale shark, seven gill shark, blue shark and mako shark.  For those interested in experiencing something on a smaller scale, the kelp forest snorkel offers an opportunity to dive with the pyjama shark and the shy shark, amongst others. Cape Town is also the location of a 64000 strong colony of Cape Fur seals, and Simon’s Town is also known worldwide for its African penguins.

If you leave early enough the boat ride to the dive location has the most spectacular sunrises. The view of False Bay and the surrounding mountains is incredible. At times, you may be accompanied by dolphins. A specular sight to behold. The trip takes around 25 minutes to the dive location, with Gordan’s Bay and Muizenburg far off in the distance. The crew is  incredibly knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions about sharks. The sharks require a little persuasion to approach the boat, however they are curious and once they arrive, they tend to stick around. Once inside the cage, the sharks will often swim by the cage quite slowly, appearing to directly observe those inside the cage, this is an exciting and humbling experience.

Regardless of your level of diving experience, shark cage diving in Cape Town is an excellent location. You will be spoilt for choice for marine life experiences and activities. It is easy to turn your half-day shark cage diving experience into a full day of adventure. Visit the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, and take a drive to Cape Point. It will undoubtedly become a day filled with excitement.