Thrill of a Lifetime! Cage Diving in South Africa’s Shark Alley!

As much as I viewed Dyer Island as a rocky and uninhabitable place to live, it’s actually the defining feature of the area coastal area of Gansbaai, on South Africa’s eastern coast.

A place known as “Shark Alley”.

Dyer Island is a small island located only a few miles off the southern shores of mainland South Africa. Aside from being the shark capital of the world, it is also a nationally protected penguin and seabird sanctuary. Tourists from all over the world take cruises to watch the assortment of marine life living on and around the island.

This tourist came to see the sharks!

The island is the perfect home for a variety of sea life, especially its thriving population of over 60,000 seals. And although the Great White Sharks aren’t fussy eaters, they prefer seal if offered a choice.

We had great weather conditions for launching out of Kleinbaai harbor. Our outfitter for this adventure is a company called Marine Dynamics. Guide Suzy, a marine biologist with impressive knowledge of the local sea life and their behavior, briefed us on what we would be doing. A fifteen minute trip out to anchor, a change in to wet suits and then a climb into the cage, eight at a time, for shark viewing.

We were also lucky enough to encounter a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins just before reaching the anchor site, which was an amazing experience!

Join me in the “Cage” along with a boatload of new friends as we join with the crew of Marine Dynamics and head out for en experience of a lifetime…underwater, nose to nose with the sharks of Shark Alley!

There are many species besides the elusive “Great White” in Shark Alley. These include the Largetooth Sawfish Shark identified by its saw-like snout with 14 to 23 large teeth protruding from it, the Nurse Shark, and the Sand Tiger Shark, a big gray fish with a pointed snout and sharp teeth that protrude from its mouth even when closed.

mrcsl.org

On this day, the waters were filled with all of these. After a few waiting minutes, the Bronze Whaler sharks decided to sample our chum and play with the cage (and us!) as we balanced on metal bars, submerged along the side of the boat. I spent about 30 minutes in the cage and also had the opportunity to enjoy the views from above as others went up close and personal with our marine friends.

Here’s our crew heading in to the Marine Dynamics facility for steaming hot vegetable soup and fresh biscuits. Nothing ever tasted better!

We are a family of organisations dedicated to the marine environment. We embody our mantra ‘Discover & Protect’ through ecotourism, research, conservation and outreach projects.

marine dynamics

Marine Dynamics is located in Gansbaai South Africa, a two and a half hour drive from Cape Town. They offer half and full day dives. I chose the half day for about $250 US. Here’s there info:

Address: 5 Geelbek St, Van Dyks Bay, Gansbaai, 7220, South Africa

Hours: Open 24 hours

Phone: +27 82 380 3405