How the day runs, how cold the water is, who gets seasick and what happens when the weather turns.
The short answer
Expect an early start, a briefing over breakfast, two to three hours at anchor and about 20 to 25 minutes in the cage, with your head above water between looks. The water is cold, around 13 degrees on one reviewer’s day, and the boat rolls, so take seasickness tablets beforehand. Start times follow the tide and are confirmed the afternoon before; book an early day in your stay in case the sea is too rough.
Pick a day or your whole stay and we show the shark trips that still take bookings. The sea decides, so an early day leaves room to rebook.
In the next 7 days, all 3 tours on this page still have places.
Boat leaves from: Gansbaai (Kleinbaai)
Boat leaves from: Gansbaai (Kleinbaai)
Boat leaves from: Simon’s Town
Each card lists where the boat leaves from, the transfer and how long the trip runs. Open it for the full details.
About three hours on the boat from Kleinbaai and some 20 minutes in the cage, with a chance of a second turn. Transfer from Cape Town or Hermanus is an option.
A morning out of Kleinbaai near Gansbaai with White Shark Projects, a Fair Trade Tourism certified operator. You start with breakfast and a briefing by the marine biologist, spend about three hours on the boat and get roughly 20 minutes in the cage, with the chance of a second turn. The listing names bronze whaler and sevengill sharks and says openly that great whites have become rare here. Return transport from Cape Town or Hermanus is an option when you book; you can also drive to the lodge in Kleinbaai yourself.
Transfer from Cape Town or Hermanus if you choose that option, otherwise the White Shark Projects lodge in Kleinbaai.
Inclusions, transfer and time in the cage as the operator lists them on its booking page.
A marine biologist on board, meals before and after, and a visit to the penguin and seabird sanctuary. Transfer from Cape Town is an option.
Marine Dynamics runs its cage dives from the Great White House in Kleinbaai on the purpose-built boat Slashfin, with a marine biologist on board throughout. The boat heads for Joubertsdam, where the listing names bronze whaler sharks and possibly broadnose sevengill sharks and stingrays. Breakfast or lunch on arrival, snacks on board, a light lunch after the dive and a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary are part of the day. Return transport from Cape Town is one of the options.
The Great White House, 5 Geelbek Street, Kleinbaai. The meeting time is confirmed the day before.
Inclusions, transfer and time in the cage as the operator lists them on its booking page.
False Bay, about 45 minutes from Cape Town, with bronze whaler and sevengill sharks. Four hours, snacks and drinks on board.
Cage diving in False Bay from Simon’s Town, about 45 minutes from Cape Town and a short walk from the penguins at Boulders Beach. The owner-run boat looks for bronze whaler and sevengill sharks. The cage sits partly in the water, so your head and shoulders stay above the surface between looks. If you would rather not go in, you can watch from the boat.
62 St George’s Street, Simon’s Town.
Inclusions, transfer and time in the cage as the operator lists them on its booking page.
The trips on this site differ in transfer, food and length, but the time on the water follows the same pattern. Here is what the booking pages and recent reviewers describe, so the day holds no surprises.
The boats leave when the tide and the sea allow, so the time you pick when booking is a guide. The exact time comes the afternoon before: White Shark Projects confirms at 4 pm, Cape Shark Adventures after 4 pm, Marine Dynamics and Apex the day before. With a transfer from Cape Town to Gansbaai, a drive of about 2 to 2.5 hours, pickups before dawn are normal; one reviewer was collected at 3:40 am. From Simon’s Town, 45 minutes from the city, the day is shorter. Apex asks you to keep the whole day free.
Most Gansbaai trips start with breakfast and a safety briefing at the operator’s base in Kleinbaai, then a short walk or boat ride to the dive site, 15 to 20 minutes out. White Shark Projects plans about three hours on the water. The crew anchors, lowers the cage alongside and uses bait to bring the sharks close. Groups of four to eight take turns while the others watch from the deck.
You do not need a diving licence. The cage floats at the surface, your head stays above water, and you hold your breath and duck down when a shark passes. White Shark Projects gives about 20 minutes per person with a chance of a second turn, African Eagle Daytours 10 to 30 minutes, and Simon’s Town reviewers describe about 25 minutes per group. One reviewer on the Marine Dynamics boat had 10 to 15 minutes and felt that was short. What you see depends on visibility, which after stormy days can be a metre or less.
The Atlantic off Gansbaai is cold; a reviewer on the Marine Dynamics boat noted about 13 degrees. The operators provide a wetsuit (Apex a 5 mm suit) and mask, and several Gansbaai trips have hot showers afterwards. Bring a warm jacket for the deck. The bigger issue is the swell: a boat at anchor rolls, and reviewers across nearly every trip say to take seasickness tablets before you go, even if you are rarely sick. White Shark Projects and Cape Shark Adventures do not include tablets. One Marine Big 5 reviewer counted 13 seasick people out of 17 on a rough day.
Age limits vary. Marine Dynamics lists no age restriction for the cage trip, and the Marine Big 5 boat takes all ages. White Shark Projects does not take children under 6 on the boat and offers babysitting at its lodge. African Eagle Daytours and Shark Explorers are not suitable for children under 5. On the Cape Shark Adventures viewing trip, children under 12 watch from the deck.
If the sea is too rough, the operator moves or cancels the trip. Marine Dynamics offers a refund or another date; reviewers of White Shark Projects and Shark Explorers were rebooked. Book one of the first days of your stay so there is time to move. Some days the sharks do not come, even after an hour of waiting. Only White Shark Diving Company states a policy for that: a voucher for another trip, valid two years, transport not included.
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| Photo | Tour | What's in it | Rating ↕ | Tour price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Shark cage diving, Kleinbaai | Gansbaai · about 20 min in the cage · breakfast + lunch · transfer as an option | ★ 4.7 (915) | R 2,550 per person | Book now |
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Marine Big 5 boat trip | Gansbaai · no cage · whales Jun–Dec · transfer as an option | ★ 4.7 (826) | R 2,490 per person | Book now |
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Eco-friendly cage diving cruise | Gansbaai · marine biologist · meals + penguin sanctuary · transfer as an option | ★ 4.6 (378) | R 3,805 per person | Book now |
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Cage diving, 8-person cage | Gansbaai · breakfast + meal · no-shark voucher · transfer for a fee | ★ 4.8 (242) | R 2,750 per person | Book now |
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Cage dive and wildlife safari | False Bay · Seal Island if weather allows · no transfer | ★ 4.8 (54) | R 4,400 per person | Book now |
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Cage diving, Simon’s Town | False Bay · 45 min from Cape Town · bronze whalers + sevengills · no transfer | ★ 5.0 (40) | R 3,550 per person | Book now |
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Viewing trip, cage optional | Gansbaai · 3 h · cage or deck · breakfast + soup · no transfer | ★ 4.5 (20) | R 2,800 per person | Book now |
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Sharks and whales combo | Gansbaai · cage trip + whale watching · meals · no transfer | ★ 4.7 (13) | R 5,000 per person | Book now |
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Day trip with hotel pickup | Gansbaai · Cape Town hotel pickup · 10–30 min in the cage · breakfast + lunch | ★ 4.4 (11) | R 4,929 per person | Book now |
Prices are live from GetYourGuide and Viator and include taxes and booking fees. Transfers from Cape Town are only in the price where the row says so. “What’s in it” summarises the booking page. Check the full inclusions there before you book.
Divers and deck-watchers on these boats, quoted from GetYourGuide.
★ 4.7 (915 reviews)
“HOWEVER, take anti sickness tablets even if you’re never ever sick. … Another thing to know is that we actually got rescheduled due to not so good weather conditions. So if you are staying in Cape Town a limited time try to get this tour booked in the beginning of the trip.”
“It was a good experience, definitely one in a lifetime to see those sharks up close but be ready for the water to be extremely cold! Also the boat can be very rocky so you can get seasick really quick so be prepared.”
“After a 4 am pickup for Gaansbaai, our van got a flat tire, … We arrived so late the original company couldn't take us. We were sent to another company, waited an extra 1.5 hours, and then the water was too murky from a storm to see any sharks.”
Most reviewers praise the crew, the briefing by the marine biologist and the meals at the lodge. The critical reviews return to the same points: great whites are rarely seen any more and the sharks in the cage are mainly bronze whalers (copper sharks); on some days no sharks turn up at all; visibility can be poor; and the boat rolls enough that several reviewers urge everyone to take seasickness tablets. One reviewer describes a transfer from Cape Town that broke down on the way. Weather can move the trip to another day, so an early date in your stay is the safer choice.
★ 4.6 (378 reviews)
“We see big sharks and stingray. You need some time to feeling comfortable in the cold water (13 degrees) and I had to wait 10-15 minutes for the first shark.”
“Activity was much below expectations, we did not even do all that was described (e.g. the penguin part). Staff rushed us all the times (driver too), lunch was quick and right before dive (result many people felt sick) …”
Praise goes to the conservation work, the marine biologist and the organisation of the day. Several reviewers write that great whites have all but disappeared and that the cage dives are with bronze whalers (copper sharks), stingrays and seals. The critical reviews mention short time in the cage, poor visibility after rough weather, a rushed day and, in two cases, a penguin sanctuary stop that was dropped. One reviewer saw no sharks but orcas instead. Water temperature of around 13 degrees comes up as well.
★ 4.7 (826 reviews)
“this boat trip should not have gone ahead, it felt unsafe on incredibly rough seas. Of 17 people on our boat 13 were very sick to the point we missed sightings.”
Many reviewers saw southern right whales, seals and dolphins, and some all five animals. The critical reviews describe very early pickups, rough seas with many people seasick, whales seen only briefly or from a distance, penguins far off, and no attempt to attract sharks, since this is a viewing trip without bait or a cage. Commentary was hard to hear on the lower deck for one reviewer.
Taken from the GetYourGuide pages of the shark trips. Cuts are marked with …, the wording is unchanged, and names are shortened to first name and country.
Cold. A reviewer on the Marine Dynamics boat in Gansbaai noted about 13 degrees. The operators provide wetsuits, and several Gansbaai trips have hot showers afterwards.
No diving licence is needed. The cage floats at the surface and you hold your breath to look under water.
It depends on the tide. The time is confirmed the afternoon before, and with a transfer from Cape Town to Gansbaai the pickup can be before dawn.
That depends on the operator. White Shark Diving Company gives a voucher for another trip. For the others, the booking page does not state a no-shark policy.
The trips on this site start with a safety briefing, and the cage is tied alongside the boat at the surface. White Shark Projects lists passenger liability insurance and daily weather checks. Reviewers describe feeling safe in the cage; the most common complaints are seasickness and the cold.
