Anyone who spends any time at all beneath the waves should experience a classic cage dive with great white sharks at least once. Whether you love these mighty creatures or find them lurking in the shadows of your worst nightmares, educating yourself about these prehistoric animals and spending some time getting to know them can be thrilling – and even better, can help you rid yourself of any fears you may have about smaller reef sharks. Thrills, or therapy – you decide!
South Africa’s Great White Sharks: A Vulnerable Species
The terrifying best-seller and subsequent horror films, Jaws, starred a massive man-eater that hunted people the way we hunt our own prey. The truth is, Great White sharks are primarily interested in eating marine mammals like dolphins and seals, and while they do hunt in an almost wolf-like fashion, they have favorite foods and favorite hunting grounds. In addition, they are not likely to pass up a free meal, such as the meat that is offered to them by South Africa’s cage dive operators.
The Great White shark is the last known surviving species of genus Carcharodon and is classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its’ ancestor, C. Megalodon, grew to be about fifty-two feet long and lived during the Cenozoic Era, which ended about 1.5 million years ago. If you have the opportunity, visit the Smithsonian Institute’s museum of natural history, where you can view the massive, fossilized jaws of this mighty creature.
What to Expect on a Great White Cage Dive
Divers of every level, and even people without dive certification, can experience cage diving with great whites in South Africa. The operators here know exactly what they are doing, and have been conducting tours for years. The sharks in the area are familiar with the boats and cages, and enjoy the treats that they are offered.
Natural Predation – Some of the best, most comprehensive cage dives include the opportunity for divers to watch the sharks hunt seals, all from the safety of a metal cage enclosure. This is best undertaken during the winter months, and will give you the opportunity to watch the sharks as they stalk, kill, and consume their chosen prey.
Great White sharks are one of the only shark species which sniffs the air and looks out above water, as well as hunting from below the surface. In some areas, you can view the sharks breaching as they launch an attack from below the surface so powerful, that they break through the water’s surface and fly through the air with their prey grasped firmly in their mouths.
Dyer Island at Gansbaai
This world-renowned site is called shark alley due to the masses of sharks that come to the area to hunt for Cape fur seals. The colony of fur seals here is comprised of about forty thousand individuals, and the great whites perform an important function here, ensuring that the healthiest seals thrive and breed, while weaker seals do not consume the resources those healthier individuals require for survival. During the seals’ pupping season, many less vigorous seal pups drown. The sharks consume these pups, preventing waste and disease.
The channel itself, which lies between Geyser rock and Dyer Island, is where the majority of Gansbaai’s cage diving takes place. Before you even set out on your journey, you’ll be thoroughly briefed about the sharks, learn about their behavior, and learn how to feel most at home with the sharks that are almost always encountered on a cage dive.
Dive operators normally announce their presence to the sharks by tossing chum into the water. The great whites smell it, and begin to approach. They often come right up to the boat, poke their heads up above the water, and even make eye contact.
The water here is about nine meters deep and is quite clear, however, you will not be diving so much as you will be lowered into the cage which will be lowered into the water next to the boat. You’ll be enclosed on all sides, and before you get into the water, you’ll be briefed about which direction the sharks ought to be coming from, so you can watch their gliding approach.
Safety
Sometimes sharks will rub themselves on the cages, however, they do not recognize the cage or divers as food, and do not attack so much as come eye to eye with you. Their mouths gape open and you can easily see the rows of razor sharp teeth inside, which makes for an excellent photo or video to remember your trip by!
Even so, some are concerned about safety. The cages you’ll dive in have been specifically constructed to withstand an attack by a massive creature, although this has never happened. What has occurred, and not in South Africa, is that a shark has become entangled in the cage and broken it apart as it attempted to free itself. This panicked shark was the victim of poor cage diving techniques – and so long as you stick with a well-known company, your odds of being involved with a frightening incident are even lower than your odds of winning a massive lottery within the next week.
While it is true that diving experience is not necessary, you will enjoy the adventure of cage diving with Great Whites much more if you have at least a little experience with snorkeling or diving. Much of the time, cage divers are supplied with air through a hookah system, which allows more room in the cage for divers, and which is also safer for people who are unfamiliar with scuba equipment.
While it is important to recognize that these mighty creatures are capable of inflicting injury or death on human beings, it is even more vital to gain an understanding about their position in the ecosystem, and to realize that without the great white shark, our oceans would be a less enjoyable place. So, maintain a healthy respect for them, learn all you can before you go out on your dive, and be sure to take plenty of photos! This is one adventure you’ll never forget.
Comments
This one is definately on my bucket list!!!