The 11-day Shark Safari is designed to experience the thrill of Great White Cage Diving with the adventure of diving with Ragged Tooth, Bull, Hammerhead, Tiger and several other shark species without cages. The trip includes a free Shark Specialty Diver course and certificate. Other “on safari” qualifications available are a basic Nitrox qualification and the PADI Advanced certification.

An optional 3 days Land Safari to do Big Five game walks and drives is available on request.  Bookings must be made well in advance, as the Shark trips are very popular.

Requirements

Advanced or equivalent certificate or at least 30 dives in various conditions and enrolment on our Advanced Course.

Day one:

The safari depart from Cape Town International Airport from where we transfer you to the guesthouse near Gansbaai on the West Coast where you will be welcomed with true and traditional South African hospitality.  On the way we will stop at one of our wine estates for a taste of our local wines and lunch.

Many of our clients prefer to arrive a day or two earlier so that they may rest, and also use the opportunity to visit Table Mountain, Robben Island and other Cape Town attractions. Over a typical South African dinner (lots of meat & wine) you will meet the rest of the crew and be briefed on the procedures for the next day.

Included:

Experienced driver and guide

All transfers

Visit to the wine estate & wine tasting

Shared (twin) accommodation

Excluded:

Lunch, dinner, drinks

Days two and three:

Diving time on these two days are divided between Great White cage diving, seal diving and last but certainly not least diving with the many other species of sharks (cat, shy, pajama, etc.) found in the bays next door to Gansbaai.  Typically we do two half-day launches searching for the Great Whites, half a day diving with the 50,000 strong Cape Fur Seal colony near Dyer Island, and one dive in Romansbaai.

We start off with a breakfast before launching from either Kleinbaai,

Gansbaai  or Romansbaai Harbor.  Dyer Island is one of the best spots in the world to find and see the Great White Sharks.  Apart from the sharks, and depending on the time of year, one is also likely to see Cape Fur Seals, Cape Gannets, Cape Cormorants, Jackass penguins, whales and dolphins.  Although we run tours all-year round, the best time of the year is in our winter season (April – Sept.), when the sharks are particularly active in their feeding patterns (80-99%). During the other months (Oct. - Feb.), their feeding patterns are less consistent.  However, due to the seal-breeding season between November and February, natural feeding predations are often seen in the area.  Sighting rate in the low season is approximately 60%, bettered by the fact that we dive two consecutive days.

Cage diving is strictly regulated by the authorities and conducted in an ethical way in accordance with international standards.  It is absolutely safe and you need not have any diving experience at all, only a short course on safety and the use of the equipment.

On a typical day we meet the skipper early in the morning, and depending on the conditions, wind direction and currents you proceed to one of numerous holes, put down anchor and set out the bait.  Only bait that forms part of the animal's natural diet is used.

We then wait for the Great Whites to find us.  This can take anything from minutes to several hours.  In the meantime every one is briefed on the procedures, and the cage is put into the water.  The cage is securely attached to a platform on the back of the boat and the top of the cage floats about 23cm above the water.  It is constructed of steel bars and is closed off at the top by means of a gate.

Once the first shark is spotted the bait lines are drawn in towards the boat so that everybody has the opportunity to view and admire this magnificent predator.  The first cager enters the water and the lines are drawn slowly towards the cage to lure the shark.  This is an emotional and heart stopping experience.

Where do we dive the seals? Where they are safe from the white sharks of course!  Patches of kelp forest surround Dyer Island, and it is between the openings in the forests that the seals have found their safe haven.  The sharks do not like to swim through the kelp, and the water at about 8 meters is far from ideal hunting depth.  Imagine hundreds of playful seals darting around and nipping at your fins and doing mock charges at your head!

In the bay next doors there are many species of smaller sharks, colorful sponges, huge crayfish and even the occasional white shark, and if conditions allow we may even dive the historical wreck Birkenhead.  When we return to land, the evenings are spent reliving the day’s adventures around good food and even better wine!

Included:

Experienced driver, guide and Dive Master

All transfers

Shared (twin) accommodation

2 Sessions cage diving, one seal dive and one shark dive – air and equipment included and on a “use it or lose it” basis.

Breakfast daily

Excluded:

Lunch, dinner, drinks

Day four:

After a good sleep-in and a hearty breakfast we return to Cape Town via the scenic Boland, where we board a flight to Durban Airport. We then transfer to our lodge where the rest of the afternoon and evening is spent completing the Shark Specialty lectures and videos.

Included:

Experienced driver and guide

All land transfers

Flight from Cape Town to Durban

Shark Specialty lectures

Shared (twin) accommodation

Breakfast and dinner

Excluded:

Lunch and drinks

Days five to ten:

Adventure kicks into a higher gear when we spend these days completing a total of thirteen dives on the world-famous Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks! During the months of June through to November we are sure to see the Ragged Tooth Sharks as they congregate on the Shoal and Banks to mate, and it is not uncommon to find 15 to 50 of these ferocious looking but docile animals on a single dive.  During the other months we find Tiger, Zambezi and Hammerhead sharks. Depending on conditions we dive Cathedral, Raggie Cave, Shark Alley or any of a number of spots at Aliwal Shoal. Should you tire of the sharks, we can always dive on any of the wrecks or go hunting for the huge (and I mean huge) Brindle Bass!  Other species, depending on the season include Manta, Devil and other Rays, schools of pelagic fish, whales, dolphins, and many, many more!

Often described as the best shark diving site in the world, Protea offers exciting drift dives with (depending on the season) Ragged Tooth Sharks, three species of Hammerheads, Zambezi (Bull), Tiger, Thresher, Copper, Dusky, Mako, the occasional Great White and many other species of shark. Like on Aliwal the shark dives are done without cages and are quite safe.  No diver has ever been attacked by a shark on any of these sites. To give the adrenaline a chance to subside we will give you one day off diving, and take you on a tour of the area as well as a visit to the premises of the Natal Sharks Board to study their display of the sharks endemic to the area!  The audiovisual show and display will give you a new insight into these lovely and much maligned creatures.

The last night is obviously never without a good party, and party we can!

Included:

Experienced driver, guide and Dive Master

All transfers

13 Dives, air/Nitrox fills, weights & tanks on a “use it or lose it” basis.

Shared (twin) accommodation

Breakfast and dinner daily

Day tour to Durban markets/shops and Sharks Board

Excluded:

Lunch and drinks

Personal diving gear

Day eleven:

A lazy morning to recover and degas before flying from Durban to

Johannesburg International Airport to be in time for your flight home.

Included:

Transfer to Durban Airport

Breakfast

Excluded:

Airfare to Johannesburg

Lunch

Dinner

Optional Land Safari:

A visit to South Africa is never complete without a couple of days in one of our magnificent game reserves.  You have traveled halfway across the world already, so stay on for a day or two for another adventure!

Day eleven:

Instead of flying back to Johannesburg we transfer to one of our many Wildlife Reserves.  The reserves have a large variety of animal life including elephant, lion (not all reserves), leopard, buffalo, cheetah, hyena, wild dog, giraffe, hippo, crocodile, many species of antelope, an abundance of bird life, interesting flora and fauna and stunning views.  On the way there we do a two-hour cruise on the World Heritage Site of Lake St Lucia to find you a couple of hippos and crocodiles as well.  The accommodation is in comfortable thatched chalets and you will go to bed with the sounds of wild Africa around you…

Included:

Breakfast

Experienced driver and guide

All transfers

Boat trip on Lake St Lucia

All entrance fees and community levies.

One Game Drive

Shared (twin) accommodation

Excluded:

Lunch, dinner and drinks

Days twelve and thirteen:

By sunrise we will be out and about exploring the bush!  An early morning game walk accompanied by an armed Game Ranger affords the opportunity to meet any of the mentioned animals close-up (and I mean close-up), a quiet hour or two in a hide the chance to see a kill, the game drives the thrill of finding as many species as possible, a cruise on the river to look for hippos, crocodiles and the many bird species, and a night drive in an open vehicle to observe the nocturnal animals will see to it that not a moment passes without excitement and adventure!

Included:

Breakfast

Experienced driver and guide

All entrance fees and community levies.

One accompanied game walk

Two game drives

One night game drive

Shared (twin) accommodation

Excluded:

Lunch, dinner and drinks

Day fourteen:

After a last game drive we transfer to Durban from where you fly to Johannesburg International Airport to catch your flight home!

Included:

Breakfast

One game drive

Transfer to Durban Airport.

Excluded:

Lunch & drinks

Airfare to Johannesburg

General:

All travel costs to and from South Africa are excluded.

Visas, personal insurance and taxes are not included.

C-cards and Log Books must be presented.

Most of the game reserves are in malaria areas and precautions must be

taken.

Terms:

25% Non-Refundable deposit to secure booking.

Balance payable 30 days before departure date.

For payment by credit card add 6.5%.

Bank charges are for your own cost.

We are committed to delivering the exact itinerary, but we reserve the right to make any changes that we find necessary for the comfort or safety of the client without notice.

 

Rates - Shark & Seal Safari 2004

Rate                           @     ZAR17,999.00

Optional land safari rate      @     ZAR7,499.00

Complete rate                  @     ZAR25,498.00

Single supplement                   @     ZAR3,000.00 if rooms are available