Wild Africa: Shark cage diving at Gansbaai

If the lion is the king of the jungle, it's the sharks who rule the blue waters of Africa. And Gansbaai (the 'G' is silent while pronouncing), near Cape Town, is one of the best places to see them, Photo Credit: Sagar Bahadur

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Going down the Indian Ocean for shark cage diving off the Gansbaai coast near Cape Town, South Africa. Photographs by Outlook Traveller reader Sagar Bahadur

August 04 , 2014

02 Min Read

2 hours, 135 rands, two metres deep, take a bus , Transbaai, 6-7, tuna oil tuna waste, few run away, few come, 10-12 feet, whale watching also

If the lion is the king of the jungle, it's the shark who rules the blue waters of Africa. And Gansbaai (the 'G' is silent while pronouncing), near Cape Town, is one of the best places to see it.
After the tour operator's bus picks you up from the popular tourist destination Cape Town, it's a two hour drive through the scenic coastline to the port town of Gansbaai in the Western Cape. The trip costs approximately 1300 ZAR (Rs 7500 approx) for a person. These speedboats, laden with equipment and cages, take over from there.
A few kilometres into the blue waters of Indian Ocean your speedboat will come to a halt and the crew will start 'prepping' by throwing tuna oil and tuna waste into the water to lure the sharks.
And then they arrive. Steadily, but definitely not slowly. Your tour operator may promise the sighting of over a dozen sharks, but frankly, even one sighting of a Great White is enough to get the excitement level soaring.
Now that you are assured that the water around you is actually the home of one of the deadliest predators on the planet, it's time to get into the cages and go down 2 metres deep for a more up-close encounter.
One of the most fascinating creatures in this world, the Great White sharks that you see off the Gansbaai coast can be as big as 10-12 feet in length. Though the world is divided on the issue of shark tourism, the experience is absolutely unparalleled. And it's definitely a much better way to experience 'sharks' than killing them for some soup delicacy!