Shark Cage Diving

In 2014 I was living in Hermanus and my good friend Lindy, who was in De Kelder, close to Shark Central (Dyer Island), suggested we do some shark cage diving. Winter is the best time to go, so in mid-July we found ourselves in Gans Bay boarding the Marine Dynamics shark boat.

Normally the shark boats depart from Kleinbaai, a stone's throw from Dyer Island, but because of rough sea we left from Gans Bay and this required a long trip around Danger Point. This wasn't too bad if you were not prone to sea-sickness, and we saw several whales along the way.

Eventually we arrived at Dyer Island and dropped anchor in the lee of the island where it was remarkably calm. The shark cage was dropped over the side and the first batch of divers, about six at a time) jumped in. A crewman began casting a big bait-ball on the end of a stout rope and within minutes there were several sharks around the boat, and not just any sharks, but some pretty big Great Whites! Meanwhile Lindy and I kitted up in our wetsuits and stood by.

Then it was our turn! I had brought my own diving kit along, including a snorkel which allowed me to stay submerged indefinitely and not miss any of the action under water. The bait-ball guy was continually casting and reeling in towards the cage so that the sharks would swim directly at you! I found that rather than being scared I was mesmerised by just how graceful these creatures were - how they seemed to move without any apparent effort.

We were extremely lucky to be there on a really good day. There was a never-ending stream of sharks to see, not a dull moment. Afterwards we stood on the top deck watching from above (the photos below show the view from above). The picture on the left shows a mock seal being dragged along, but the sharks weren't that interested, and on the right you can see the bait-ball which the sharks inevitably tried to grab.

This was a truly awesome experience from start to end. Marine Dynamics were amazing in their service and hospitality (snacks and drinks available all day) and even provided us with lots of photos and a complete video. The video is included below. Enjoy!