Gansbaai, Garden Route

White Shark Ecoventures (established 1992) offers daily shark diving/sighting tours (weather permitting) off Gansbaai, a mere stone-throw away from the most southern tip of the African Continent. Approx. 12km offshore from Gansbaai (2hrs drive from Cape Town) we find two islands situated next to each other. Due to a number of geographical reasons - one being the shallow and narrow channel that runs between these two islands - Dyer Island has become known as one of only two unique areas in the world, where the chances to view the great white shark, rises exceptionally high. A colony of approximately 40000 Cape Fur Seals inhabit the smaller Island (Geyser Rock. Other wildlife species such as Cape Gannets, Cape Cormorants, African Penguins, whales and dolphins are also likely to be sighted.

Once anchored in the channel, we make use of a securely designed 6-man steel cage, which floats on the surface, with divers no more than 1m below the surface. Experienced divers are able to dive on scuba while inexperienced divers are able to enjoy the same experience on snorkel. Snorkeling is equally comfortable and safe. White sharks are indeed surface feeders, providing brilliant surface viewing from the safety of the shark-viewing deck of the boat. Our shark handlers are trained to bring the sharks close-up against the side of the boat, with the head and the jaws clearly visible. We are in possession of a valid White Shark Cage Diving Operators Permit (issued by government), enabling us to work within the Dyer Island nature reserve area (copy of permit available upon request). Only long-standing operators who are in compliance with certain safety regulations and code of conduct, are entitled to this permit. All our facilities are closely inspected by authorities on an annual basis, ensuring maximum safety for all our guests. 

We have just acquired one of the largest, most modern and luxurious boats available in the shark diving industry. Megalodon II is a newly built stable catamaran, measuring 11 x 3.8 meters and therefore offering the ultimate stability at sea. Although she is licensed to carry a maximum of 30 passengers, we do not take more than 25 clients per tour. This not only ensures maximum comfort, but also ensures maximum cage diving time for all divers. Our boat offers state-of-the-art facilities which includes; sophisticated and securely structured 5-6-man steel cage, spacious cabin, large upper shark-viewing deck, sunbathing area, private lockable toilet, fresh water showers, private restroom with bed, fresh drinking water, wet deck and separate dry-deck for maximum comfort. She is fully licensed to SA safety standards and is equipped with 2 radio's, radar equipment, navigation equipment, depth finder, echo sounder, medical first aid kit (including oxygen an fluid replacement), current safety equipment, life vests for all passengers and a 50-man life raft. Our boat, cage and life raft are inspected on an annual basis, ensuring maximum safety for all our passengers

We own 2 luxurious Mercedes Sprinter shuttle busses (15 and 21 seater), fully equipped with air-conditioning, PA system and CD player. We have more than adequate Insurance Cover which includes; R20 million Public Liability, R20 million Passenger Liability on each bus, R5 million Passenger liability on our boat and Personal Accident Insurance on all our bus drivers. We hold valid Road Carrier Permits on our busses, and our drivers are all Public Drivers Permit holders. Each crew member is highly qualified in his/her specific field and together have more than 15 years experience working with great white sharks. Crew qualifications consist of; A1 (1) commercially licensed skippers, level 3 Medics; Satour Registered specialised tour guides; Dive Masters and qualified shark handlers. All our crew have done SAMSA compliant Fire-Fighters and Life-Raft Courses and our skippers are licensed with ICASA (independent Commission Authority of SA), as well as SAMSA (SA Maritime and Safety Authority). A step-by-step emergency flow chart is available inside the cabin of our vessel, at all times.

Capture this once-in-a-lifetime personal experience on film and take it home to show to your friends and family. We offer the services of a professional underwater videographer who is highly experienced in this field. Your personal experience will be captured on a high quality video / DVD (above and underwater) and a copy will be made available to you after the tour at a minimal cost. We offer the following items on sale; underwater disposable camera’s, T-Shirts, P-Caps, Wine, Video’s, DVD’s etc. Please ask your tour guide on the day of the tour.

Tour Includes:

1. Luxurious return transfers from Cape Town (Air-conditioned, Mercedes Sprinter Bus);
2. Freshly made packed breakfast.
3. Hot tea and coffee upon our arrival in Gansbaai;
4. A light lunch is served upon our return;
5. Complimentary beer and wine to accompany your lunch; 
6. A fast, yet safe 20 minute boat ride to Dyer Island;
7. Snacks, drinks and sweets on-board the boat;
8. Educational presentation and safety briefing;
9. Diving equipment and wet-suits available at no additional cost;
10. Scuba diving in the cage for experienced divers;
11. Assisted snorkeling in cage for inexperienced divers;
12. Spectacular surface viewing for non divers;
13. View the Cape Fur Seals and African Penguins from the boat (subject to good weather conditions);
14. Complimentary Shark Project Workbook, sponsored by Dr. Erich Ritter, (while stocks last).
15. Logbook stamp after the tour;
16. Enjoy land-based whale watching in Hermanus (July – Dec);
17. Drop-off at Cape Town International Airport at no additional cost.
18. En-route tour of the indigenous fynbos in the Overberg area, the export apple orchards of Elgin and the informal settlements in Cape Town.
19. DVD’s, video’s, underwater camera’s, T-shirts, P-caps and various other gifts on sale; 
20. Purchase a high quality copy of your own personal shark diving experience, after the tour. This is

Available on video or DVD.

Approximate Itinery: 

• Door-to-door collection from the Cape Town metropolitan area.
• Arrival in Gansbaai, where you will enjoy a packed breakfast and hot coffee / tea, while the safety briefing and other formalities takes place.
• The boat launches from Kleinbaai Harbour. 20 min later, anchor in or nearby “Shark Alley”.
• Return to Kleinbaai harbour.
• A light lunch is enjoyed while viewing the video of the day. A copy of your own personal experience is available after the tour.  

Best Season

Our tours run each and every day of the year, as Dyer Island is a good place to see the sharks all year round. The absolute best season is probably in our winter months, when sharks are particularly active in their feeding pattern. The following guide-line is based on tours we have done over the past 8 years and months may overlap slightly.

Peak Season: April to October (99% success rate) Highly Reccommended
High Season: November to December (90 – 99% success rate)
Intermediate Season: January to March: (80 – 90% success rate)
Water temperatures vary between 16 and 20 degrees celsius during our high season, and between 10 and 16 degrees celsius during our intermediate and low seasons. 

What to Bring
Towel, warm weather proof clothing, sunscreen and hat, camera and binoculars, sea-sick tablets and dive card.

Terms and Conditions
Thorough weather checks are done prior to any trip. Should inclement weather prevent us from proceeding with the trip on any particular day, the clients would be informed and an alternative date would be negotiated or an entire refund would be given. Should the clients and White Shark Ecoventures’ team find themselves in Gansbaai already (based upon a good weather prediction) and sudden strong winds pick up, preventing the boat from being put to sea and to ensure the safety of our passengers, 10% of the price will be retained for meals, stand-by and preparation costs. i.e. an 90% refund would be given. However, a 10% discount would be offered on the day the trip is actually taken (valid for a 2 year period). Should strong winds pick up whilst out at sea and return to shore is required for the safety of passengers and crew, a refund will not be applicable. We are dealing with wild animals and sightings are therefore not guaranteed. Refunds will therefore not be considered in the event of non-sightings, however, a second tour will be offered at a discounted rate. Due to variable weather conditions and shark activity, diving may not always be possible and is therefore not guaranteed. The boat tour we offer consists of approx. 4 hours at sea. Should it be required, White Shark Ecoventures reserves the right to run more than one tour per day, of approx. 4 hours at sea. Time related itinerary’s and collection times are dependent on tides, weather conditions and the amount of tours we have scheduled on that particular day. Exact collection times are therefore only available after 16h00 the day prior to the tour, and may vary between 4.30 and 11.30 am daily. Should our vessel be out of the water for a certain period (due to maintenance or any other reason), we will continue to run our tours by chartering another vessel (also adequately registered for shark cage diving).