It's the ultimate adventure. We never thought we'd be shark diving with great whites in our lives and yet here we were climbing in the cage off the Coast of South Africa to witness these creatures in person. This only happens in the movies or on TV doesn't it? But now, Dave and Deb are coming face to face with the Great White Shark.
Great White Shark Goes After the Bait
Our Shark Diving Tour
As we entered the offices of White Shark Projects in Gansbaai, South Africa, we couldn't understand all the sour faces. People ate their buffet breakfasts in silence and barely a smile was cracked when we said ‘hello.' We wondered what sort of operation we had run into? Why was everyone sulking at their tables? It turns out, that as we started to talk to more people on the way out to our dive site, our fellow passengers were terrified!
Nobody Smiling on the Way out to Sea
We were diving with the most feared creature of the ocean and yet for some reason, I was excited. Anyone who knows me or has travelled with us, knows that Dave is the daredevil of this relationship. I'll try things, but most of the time I fret about it and lose sleep over the scary things that we are about to do the next day. However, when it came to the Great White Shark cage diving experience, we were both equally excited.
Excited to get in the water
When diving with Great White Sharks at this time of year (January) you don't have to take the long boat ride out to sea in terribly rough waters. Today, we had a short 10 minute ride to our dive site on our 36 foot boat. That didn't stop people from losing their lunch though, one poor woman who was on her honeymoon and had such bad sea sickness, she wasn't able to get in the water even once!
A Fellow Dive Boat off the Coast
Tensions were high and many people were chickening out. When our guide asked us who would like to go in the first group, there was barely a hand raised in the air. Dave and I were in a jumble because we were trying to split up our dives so that we could take footage of one another, but in the end, we ended up going together in the second group because that's just the way it worked out.
Like Rats Trapped in a Cage
At first I was upset that we were in group two. What if we missed the best shark activity in the beginning? As it turns out, the longer we stay in the area, the more interested the sharks become.
Shark Gnawing on the Bait – No Hooks are involved
The crew started chumming the water with fish blood to attract the sharks and when the first one arrived, the excitement mounted. It was time to get in the cage and see them for ourselves.
Shark Conservation
Great White Shark Circles the Boat
Sadly, sharks are the most misunderstood creatures in the world and they are at a great risk of extinction. 40 million sharks are killed each year for their fins alone to feed the Asian Market's desire for shark fin soup. Great white sharks can reach a length of 5-6 meters, but the people at White Shark Projects told us that a sighting that big is becoming rarer each year. It is the big sharks that are being slaughtered at high rates, and considering a female shark needs to be 4 metres long before she can mate, well, they are killing off the reproduction process. Sharks can't reproduce as quickly as they are being hunted killed.
Shark Diving Experience
Having a blast in the Cage
Diving with these beauties not only is a thrill, but it helps us to better understand the shark. They are a curious creatures and most great white shark attacks are non fatal. Humans are not a part of their food chain and usually when the shark bites, it is a test bite to taste the meat. Once, they realize that this isn't a part of their diet they move on.
More South Africa Adventure: Claustrophobia in the Cango Caves
We love Sharks.
A Smaller Great White Shark
When you see a shark up close and personal, all your fear disappears. Everything you ever saw in the movies or on TV melts away and suddenly you see a beautiful creature who feels and thinks and has a natural curiosity. Sharks have the most intelligent eyes. You can see them scanning their prey and assessing the situation. Our cage was bumped many times and never once did we feel threatened. It felt as if they were coming in for a closer look. Hey we were watching them after all, why can't they take a look at us?
A Shark Comes up to Take a Look
Diving in the cage with the Great white shark is an extremely exhilarating experience. You don't dive with any scuba equipment as the sharks are scared off by the bubbles. Most of the activity happens towards the surface anyway, so when diving with White Shark Projects, you simply hold your breath and dive down when the guide tells you to. You have to be fast though. During our first dive, we both seemed to miss the shark passing. We went down too late, held our breath too long and then came up just as the shark was passing again. Soon we figured out the rhythm. When the guide yells “down,” you go down quickly, watch the shark pass and head straight back up. Don't wait around for more things to happen, the shark has to turn around. Use that time to catch your breath. If he comes back quickly, you'll have had time to catch your breath and be back under the water before he passes again.
Divers underwater as a Shark Swims by the Cage
Shark Diving Again and Again!
We were lucky we dove with a bunch of people who weren't keen on shark diving. Each time the captain asked who wants to go in next, nobody replied! Both Dave and I had three turns in the cage and as the water became more filled with fish guts and blood, the sharks became more excitable. They jumped after the fish head that the bait guy kept throwing out with more gusto and came out of the water breaching for us on more than one occasion.
After a while the dead fish gets to you
By the time we reached our third go at diving, I was starting to feel a bit ill. The smell of rotten fish was starting to get to me and after swallowing a bit of salty water due to taking a breath as the waves hit, the nausea became more intense. I am so glad that I stayed in the water though because just as our dive was ending, the shark grabbed onto the bait so hard and flipped it around around that our guide was pulled in the water! It happened right over my head and I caught it all on video!
See our guide fall in the water with the Great White Sharks and Survive!
Shark Diving Video:
My mind was racing, I was in a state of shock for what seemed like an eternity, but when watching the video, it was a nano-second. At first I thought ‘they must do this all the time at the end of the dive to make it more exciting,' then I realized what happened. He fell in! Luckily he didn't fall too far and the shark was busy with its bait, but it certainly made for an exciting ending to an exciting day.
Check out more and see us swim with Galapagos sharks or when we swam with sharks in Belize we've encountered several sharks in our travels and are happy to add the Great White to our list.
Also enjoy Laurel Robbins post where she dove with Oceanic Black Tip Sharks and Ragged Tooth Sharks no cage required.
Read Next: The Best Road Trips in the World
Ways, White Shark Projects suggests to help the sharks…
- Dive and snorkel with sharks. The more money goes into shark tourism the more people realize the value of living sharks.
- Refuse to eat shark fin soup and don’t eat at restaurants that serve it; encourage others to do the same. Seventeen countries have already banned shark finning. Find our if your country is one of them. If not, write to your local government official asking to ban shark finning.
- Demand that your country stop the importation of shark fins.
To book your own shark diving experience, visit White Shark Projects prices include The Dive, Breakfast, Hot Soup upon your return, wets suits and dive gear and guides. As well as delicious lollipops for seasickness.
Cost R1450 ($50 USD) for a 3-4 hour excursion.
By Vé Máy Bay jetstar June 26, 2017 - 4:05 am
Experience of a life time, it seems, you both had. Doing some thing like this, requires to move out from out comfort zones and experience some real thrill at watching one of the most beautiful creatures of the seas. Sharks are both feared and desired, I guess they should be respected and yes, as you put it, we should rather see them in their natural habitat than in our dinner tables.
By Jame Bond Was Here, Bahamas Underwater Fun August 21, 2013 - 7:51 pm
[…] Cage Diving with Great White Sharks […]
By Shark Week Continues, Our Best Shark Encounters August 8, 2013 - 10:01 am
[…] See more about Shark Diving in South Africa at our post In The Cage […]
By Emma August 7, 2013 - 5:45 pm
This is number 1 on my bucketlist! My whole life I have been terrified of the sea because of sharks, but also fascinated and in awe of them. I want to overcome my fear and see these amazing creatures in their natural habitat.
Really enjoyed reading this post. But I think that the bit where someone falls in the water with the shark will give me nightmares 🙂 Well done for being so brave!
By debndave August 8, 2013 - 9:15 pm
Good for you Emma, you are going to love it. Once you see the sharks up close, they are far less terrifying. I look forward to you having the chance one day soon.
By Tim Moon August 7, 2013 - 12:36 pm
Even though he landed right by the cage and the shark was distracted with the chum…that would still be terrifying to get pulled in like that! Cool video!
By debndave August 8, 2013 - 9:22 pm
Definitely, you never know if it was wrapped around his foot or if he was pulled in further, it would have been scary. But as our guide said, most likely nothing would happen. I wouldn’t want to test that theory though. It was quite the scare for a few moments.
By Great White Sharks, Guitars and Gettin’ Down, Down Under | Travel OpForYou August 7, 2013 - 10:03 am
[…] in the cage and see great white sharks up close and personal, we had to jump on the chance. See our South Africa Cage Diving Experience and […]
By A Dolphin Swim in Shark Country | Adventure Travel blog for Couples | The Planet D July 6, 2013 - 10:41 am
[…] but thankfully nothing happened. Our captain didn’t believe me, but we’ve been up close and personal with enough sharks in our lives to know what they look like. He didn’t look afraid at […]
By robin June 18, 2013 - 3:31 pm
I’m late on this post, but it’s pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of sharks and it sounds like an amazing experience!
By debndave June 18, 2013 - 3:49 pm
Thanks Robin, it was an amazing experience and we’re big fans too!
By Monnette June 5, 2013 - 2:01 am
I don’t blame people who prefer not to go cage diving to see great whites. Sharks can seem so scary. So far though, the sharks that are getting celebrity status in the Philippines are whale sharks and thresher sharks. Good thing, perhaps, that they are considered non-threatening. They have become tourist attractions.
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:31 pm
Yes Whale sharks are very safe to swim with. We had the opportunity in Honduras years ago. Majestic. Yes, because of all the years of bad publicity and yes, they are the king of the sea, they can be very scary, but once you see them, YOu’ll love them.
By Rob Atherton May 25, 2013 - 8:23 am
I think I'd be more put off by sea sickness than coming face to face with a Great White 🙂
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:30 pm
You said it. We started to feel so sick at the end. Because we were in the cage for so long, we got totally sick from the smell of fish and the rocking of the boat, but it was worth it and the lollipops helped immensely. They had soup waiting for us when we were done so everything was perfect in the end.
By Easy Travel Mom May 25, 2013 - 2:14 am
I too did the great white shark swim off the coast of South Africa 12 years ago – it really is an exhilirating experience! Great photos and wow on the video for timing. It's true though that the sharks have no interest in us as food, thankfully!
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:28 pm
So awesome that you have done a great white swim. When you say swim, were you in the cage or were you actually in open water. I must know! And yes, no interest in us whatsoever. Thank God
By Clayton Elliott May 15, 2013 - 8:58 pm
Hi Peter,
It’s very unfortunate that you view these wonderful, majestic creatures with such ignorance and fear. We as humans tend to fear what we don’t understand, and clearly, you understand very little, maybe even nothing about sharks. I personally have scubadived with Bull Sharks a number of times and watched people hand-feed them, and know friends who free-dive with Great White Sharks and Tiger Sharks, and even ride them by hitching a ride on their dorsal fins. If sharks wanted to kill people they would kill millions of people a year considering how many people are in the oceans around the world. And the fatality of shark attacks would be 100%, not the incredibly low less than 0.1% / year. People are helpless in the water, and if sharks decided to put humans on their menu, we’d literally be sitting ducks. But you see, they just don’t. We humans aren’t tasty to sharks because our blood lacks the fat that their normal prey has (seal, fish, etc.). At first taste, they usually spit people out. And that’s on the very rare occasion that they even bite. They are not vicious man-eaters that need to be hunted and killed, they are literally one of the most important animals on this small, blue planet we ALL call home. It’s their home too.
Please watch the videos and look at the photos on these two sites. I hope it helps raise your awareness and shift your opinion. Maybe you too will learn to love sharks 😀
http://www.sharkwater.com/
http://sharkangels.com/
Dave and Deb,
This is a brilliant post illustrating a very worthy cause that I wish more people cared about! Sharks are some of the last living dinosaurs on Earth. They are apex predators that regulate and maintain balance in the oceans. If they go, the oceans go, if the oceans go, life on Earth goes. Your trip to Gansbaai looks awesome and I look forward to when I can visit places where I can get up-close-and-personal with those beauties!
It makes me furious when orgs like Fin Free get shark products banned in Toronto, Mississauga, and in other cities around the world, and then greedy, ignorant politicians repeal the ban and make shark products legal again. In Toronto and Mississauga, the Chinese business community has lobbied (and likely bribed) the local politicians to repeal the ban so they can continue to sell shark-fin products. It breaks my heart that profit comes before planet. I still have hope that one day we will all raise our mind-states and see the incredible significance of all life on Earth, but especially the sharks, and invest our time, money, and resources into saving them and not butchering them.
I know we only had a chance to chat briefly at the AMEX / Survivor Man event last year in Toronto, but I’d love to speak with you both about these Shark Tagging WIDExperiences I’m trying to get launched this fall. I think you both would love it!
Happy travels!
http://widism.com/experiences/shark-tagging/
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:16 pm
Hi Clayton. Sorry I just saw this comment. Wonderful and thank you for sharing! We’re quite furious too to hear that shark fin soup is legal in Toronto. Thank you for setting Peter straight and so glad to have other people talk about scuba diving, swimming and snorkelling with sharks. You are so right when you say that sharks could have us all for dinner if they wanted. When you look in their eyes, they are so intelligent. It breaks my heart. Media and film have given sharks a bad rap. But with people like you out there, things will hopefully start to change.
By Tom May 8, 2013 - 11:43 am
Ah I’m insanely jealous!! Swimming with sharks is top of my list! I’ve been contemplating visiting South Africa, due to the mad amount of things you can do, like cheetah sanctuary etc.
A friend went crocodile cage diving, that looks ridiculous…In the best way possible!!
By debndave May 9, 2013 - 9:52 am
Oh my, Crocodile cage diving! I haven’t heard of it. That would be insane too. If you go to South Africa, make sure you dive with the sharks, it really is special. And you are so right, there are so many awesome things to do there!
By Si @ Man vs World May 7, 2013 - 4:45 am
You’re crazy for doing that! Haha, I don’t blame them for being scared – sharks are terrifying! I love the pics and good on you for being brave enough to give it a go. I love the photos.
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:26 pm
Thanks Si. I admit, I’m not normally that brave. For some reason, I felt completely calm and excited for this trip. I couldn’t wait to get in the water. Usually, I’m having a heart attack before every adventure and then do it and feel better afterwards. This was a first for me to actually be completely calm from beginning to end. I promise you, once you get in the cage with them, you won’t find them terrifying
By Laurel April 7, 2013 - 2:12 pm
Yeah! So glad that you guys enjoyed the experience and love sharks. Agree that they are completely misunderstood. Love the video. Thanks so much for the mention.
By debndave April 10, 2013 - 9:24 am
Thanks Laurel. It was amazing to see them. I know that you love sharks too. The more we write about them and get the word out, hopefully the more people will be less afraid and more fascinated with these extraordinary creatures.
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:25 pm
Thanks Laurel. We loved your shark diving experience too. I admire all the diving that you do. We used to dive a lot and have let our PADI lapse, I think we are going to fix that soon.
By Michael March 25, 2013 - 2:47 pm
So, the sharks dont really attack the cage like they do in the movies?
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:24 pm
You said it. They did bump the cage a few times, but that is just because they were curious, or the cage got in their way while they jumped for the fish head. We definitely didnt’ ever feel that they would attack. But you certainly have to keep your hands inside, when they do bump, they could take your arm right off.
By Richard Crest March 22, 2013 - 4:09 am
That was terrifying and exciting experience. Sharks are creepy creatures but their also beautiful.
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:23 pm
Seriously if you see them up close, they aren’t so creepy. We’ve seen many sharks in our travels and the more we see them, the more we love them. Don’t get me wrong, we have a healthy respect for them, but they are so beautiful.
By Phuong Thuy March 21, 2013 - 9:34 am
That is one great destination for you, I also.
invite you to refer to my information http://www.tourdulich24h.com/tour-du-lich-nha-trang/t/g/1/5.
By Johhny March 21, 2013 - 2:59 am
I have seen this kind of advantures in Discovery channel but you are maestro my friend, attempting the things that some people can only dream of..
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:22 pm
We feel very lucky to be able to do this. That thought was actually going through my mind. 10 Years ago, I never thought this would be possible, but now our dreams have come true and if we can make them come true, others can too.
By Stephen S. March 17, 2013 - 9:18 pm
I would do this, but I would need a new pair of shorts after. errr… new wetsuit after 🙂
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:21 pm
Haha, Don’t worry, the wetsuit is a rental. 😉
By August Samora March 12, 2013 - 2:25 pm
Meeeen, this is so coool! I'll absolutely go for it!
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:20 pm
So glad you will go for it when you get the chance, it was truly one of the best experiences of our lives.
By Nicole March 4, 2013 - 9:45 pm
What an experience!!
It looks like they used burley to lure the sharks in, right? In South Australia they’re doing studies that (presently) show that sharks are more aggressive when baited with burley. One shark provider has found the answer though – turns out great whites like rock music (they used AC/DC) and they come to explore the sound and are a lot calmer than if fed burly.
Really enjoying your South African posts! Keep it up! 🙂
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:36 pm
Love this! We actually did a dive with those guys in South Australia. The AC/DC was Cranked. http://theplanetd.com/cage-diving-great-white-sharks/
These sharks aren’t actually fed anything, they are simply baited with fish juice. It’s in their natural feeding grounds already so the sharks aren’t doing anything different to humans. They aren’t fed a thing. only lured by the scent. They can then go and feed on the sea lions nearby…poor things.
FYI, we didnt’ see a lot of sharks with the music guys. The ones who baited nearby in OZ saw 5 that day, we saw one 🙁
But it is a great debate to discuss and we aren’t experts by any means. All we know is that it’s important for people to start to learn about and understand a creature, otherwise, they will be destroyed. If getting more people excited about diving with them, prompts people to take action and stop the slaughter of millions each year, it can only help. Just like animals on safari, if we didn’t have tourists going to see the lions and elephants in Africa, they’d be gone by now.
By 12 Awesome Things to do in South Africa | Adventure Travel blog for Couples | The Planet D March 4, 2013 - 6:09 am
[…] Read more about our adventure and watch the video at Shark Diving, In the Cage with Great Whites […]
By Daniel Meloy March 1, 2013 - 6:36 pm
Wow! This looks like one heck of an adventure! I don’t know if I’d ever be brave enough to do something like this, even if I was fully educated on how safe it was. It must have been such a huge rush for you two. What other sort of extreme things have you done? I have done bungee jumping off of some bridges in the rain forest in Ecuador, but I’m not sure that even compares to being submerged with great white sharks. Thanks for this thrilling post!
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:40 pm
You can do it, seriously. If you have done bunjy jumping, you can cage dive. I think we’ve done it all between the two of us. skydiving, bunjy jumping, flying a stunt plane, polar plunge, cycling a continent, mongol rally, rock climbing, mountain summits… we’ve been very lucky to be able to have this kind of like as our job. WE do pinch ourselves every day.
By Andrew February 17, 2013 - 4:56 am
Sounds like an amazing experience. Yes, save the sharks. No living species should be hunted to extinction. They are indeed beautiful creatures, but seriously there is NO way I would do that. Not a big fan of swimming in the sea anyway. Even with the protective bars I think having something that big with teeth that close would give me nightmares.
Though do tell of the delicious lollipops for seasickness. (BTW, love that info block)
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:13 pm
Haha, Yes, the delicious Lollipops were sooo nice. Glad you like the info block. We used to do it a lot and then stopped for some reason. I’m adding it to more posts from now on. I think you could do it, come with us some time and we’ll all jump in the sea together.
By Vera February 12, 2013 - 10:50 am
Pretty amazing – but whatever you say, Mr. Bait-guy was out of the water faster than I could say “What?”;) I’m no friend of demonizing animal’s characters. A shark is an animal like any other, living its life. I think when it comes to doing harm, the human species is pretty much ahead of any competition. So I appreciate very much that you demonstrate a way to support sharks with them being in their natural environment, whilst still having a major adventure. Cool post, thank you!
By debndave February 12, 2013 - 11:07 am
Thanks Vera, and I agree with you. Humans are pretty much the worst of everything. You are also right, the bait guy was out of the water extremely fast. He may have been laughing after the fact, but it was pretty shocking to see him go in.
By Dean February 12, 2013 - 2:54 am
Wow, this must have been a hell of a thrill! I’d love to do this one day, and I’m surprised at how cheap it is.
By debndave February 12, 2013 - 11:13 am
It’s very reasonable. That is what surprised us most about South Africa. It’s very reasonable to do adventures and yes, it was a thrill of a lifetime.
By expatriate travel insurance February 10, 2013 - 8:36 pm
Experience of a life time, it seems, you both had. Doing some thing like this, requires to move out from out comfort zones and experience some real thrill at watching one of the most beautiful creatures of the seas. Sharks are both feared and desired, I guess they should be respected and yes, as you put it, we should rather see them in their natural habitat than in our dinner tables.
I am a vegan, so I will never eat it but I will make sure that I do not go to a restaurant which serves any shark dish. I think you did a great job by spreading out this message, I hope it goes viral.
By debndave February 12, 2013 - 11:39 am
Thank you so much! We do what we can. It is people like White Shark Projects and Shark Water that are doing the real work. We’re just letting people know that sharks can be fun and sharks aren’t scary. I was terrified of Jaws and I used to be afraid to go in the water. The more encounters we’ve had with sharks, the more we’ve grown to love them.
By Cathy Sweeney February 9, 2013 - 4:19 pm
You guys are amazing. I guess being brave has its rewards when you get to have experiences like this. Very cool. So interesting what you said about fears disappearing when you see the sharks up close. Kind of true about a lot of things in life, I suppose. You’ve got me all philosophical now. 😉
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 4:25 pm
so true. When you experience something, it takes the fear away. It’s the fear of the unknown that is scares us more in any situation.
By Leslee February 9, 2013 - 1:50 pm
Wow! That is really exciting– what a great experience! I was completely surprised that you didn’t have scuba tanks and just ducked when they came by. Very interesting to know and see you video. Thanks!
By debndave August 23, 2013 - 9:18 pm
It’s a great way to do it. We’ve done both types of cage diving, one with surface fed air and one this way and Truthfully, this one was the most exciting and anyone can do it!
By Susan @ Travel Junkette February 9, 2013 - 12:30 am
So cool! This is definitely on my bucket list.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:18 am
You will love it Susan.
By Jennifer February 7, 2013 - 9:07 am
I totally want to do this! I was enthralled with the Jaws series as a kid and just recently read the book for the first time. They are such fascinating creatures.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:35 am
I agree Jennifer. They are fascinating. It’s a shame that more people aren’t interested in them and instead just want them dead. Seeing them up close, takes the fear away and makes you want to help with conservation. We encourage everyone to do it and it’s a lot of fun!
By Amanda February 6, 2013 - 9:01 pm
Ahhhhh I LOVE SHARKS! I would be like you guys – the one constantly volunteering to go in the water! I’m fascinated by great whites, and cage diving with them is at the TOP of my bucket list!
I was snorkeling in Belize last month, and the one place we stopped we had a chance to swim with nurse sharks. I was the FIRST one in the water, and was more giddy than a little kid in a candy store!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:41 am
So glad to hear that Amanda. It is the best experience. We did that snorkel in Belize too! We loved it so much, we were right back out the next day on another tour. If you liked that, you’ll love this. I think that by swimming with sharks a couple of times, we were much less freaked out than the others when it came time to meet the Great Whites. We already knew what it would be like to see them and we already had a fascination with sharks. Seeing a great white underwater, wasn’t a lot different than swimming with the Galapagos shark or the Nurse Sharks, they are just bigger. But they still have the same wise and curious eyes.
By Jenny February 6, 2013 - 6:12 pm
I would love to do something like this. We have swam cage free with black-tipped reef sharks but never anything quite as big as a great white.
Thank you for pointing out the conservation needed as well. It is crucial to their survival and although cage diving is fun and exciting, it is important to help the species that you are enjoying.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:43 am
You would love it Jenny, once you’ve seen other sharks outside of the cage, seeing the Great Whites in the cage is amazing. You really feel that you could dive with them no problem, which I know that people do. When our chummer fell in, the captain even said to us “The shark wouldn’t do anything anyway.
By Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista February 6, 2013 - 5:09 pm
I’m nervous just reading this post! It does look exhilarating and very intense. I’m passing this on to my daughter because this is a dream of hers.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:48 am
Thanks Debbie, your daughter will love it. It really isn’t bad when you are in the water. The initial fear is getting in the cage. (I was mostly dreading the cold water) but the wet suit, worked perfectly. You just had to dunk down in the water quickly to get used to it. Everything happens quickly so you don’t have time to worry either. You get in the cage, you do some practice dunks and then before you know it, the shark is passing by. Even those who were nervous came back up roaring with excitement. Everyone’s fears disappeared. Sharks really aren’t scary, they’re beautiful.
By Maria February 6, 2013 - 3:35 pm
Whoa! Cage or not that’s C R A Z Y – kudos for having the guts!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:50 am
You would love it Maria. It makes you realize just how fascinating sharks are. They may be predators, but they are curious and playful too and when you are in the cage watching that, you really get a chance to see just how NOT scary they are.
By Muza-chan February 6, 2013 - 10:29 am
Wow, what a great adventure! 🙂
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:51 am
It was indeed!
By Ali February 6, 2013 - 9:31 am
That is so awesome! Great video! I’m not sure this is something I’d want to do, but you certainly took a little of the fear out of it. Glad you had fun!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:52 am
I’m so glad to hear that we took the fear out of it for you Ali. If you get the chance, do it! It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. Dave commented that he had never seen me grin so big when we’ve done anything. I really loved every second of it.
By Peter Lee February 6, 2013 - 4:59 am
Shark??????The name is enough to quit any diving plan. Don’t know how you managed all this. It is bit shocking that someone would love them. Personally, I think I can trust this animal because they are born to kill. I agree this can be fun and adventure but only a few can manage this. This is not for everyone.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 8:56 am
Ah, Peter, you had the perception that many people have. Pretty much every animal is born to kill for food. Sharks are no different. They like sea lions more than humans though. As we said, most great white attacks happen because the shark is confused. They mostly do a test bite, realize that it’s human and move on. Seeing them up close and personal helps to take the fear away. I think that cage diving is something perfect for those who are terrified of them. You are completely safe in the cage and then you get to look them in the eye and realize that they are no different than any other animal. They’re curious, smart and interested in their surroundings. These boats go out every day and don’t really feed the sharks, they just put fish juice into the water to attract them, I do believe that sharks are smart and know that they’re not going to be fed by these tours, but they love stopping by to say hello and play with the bait. That’s just my opinion though. I hope this helps you understand them a bit better, and I honestly do believe this trip is for anyone, I think you’d really enjoy it once you are in the water.
:-)By Jeremy Branham February 6, 2013 - 12:15 am
Wow, amazing photos, videos, and experience! Not sure how I would feel about doing this but sharks are definitely misunderstood. I think we have our media and the movies to thank for this. So fun to watch and read about though!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:01 am
You are so right Jeremy, media and movies have a tendency to skew everything. That’s why I love the online world so much, regular average people can debunk all the myths!
By Shark Diving, In the Cage with Great Whites | Travel Blog | ThePlanetD | Adventurous Lives | Scoop.it February 5, 2013 - 3:03 pm
[…] It's the ultimate adventure. We never thought we'd be shark diving with great whites ever in our lives and yet here we were climbing in the cage off the Coast of South Africa to witness these creatures in person. […]
By Andi Perullo de Ledesma February 5, 2013 - 2:13 pm
I looooooved this adventure! I didn't want it to end, though I did feel quite ill afterwards from taking in too much salt water. I stayed in the cage the longest. AWESOME pictures and video!
By debndave July 15, 2013 - 3:38 pm
I know what you mean, we felt ill too. The lollipops helped ease the nausea.
By Hogga February 5, 2013 - 9:08 am
This. Sounds. Terrifying.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:10 am
No seriously, you’d love it!
By Cat of Sunshine and Siestas February 5, 2013 - 3:45 am
I am quivering. I used to think my greatest fear was tornadoes, and now I’m thinking it may be sharks!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:13 am
Haha Cat. Stay afraid of tornadoes, you can’t get out of their way once they’re on your path, but sharks, you can mostly.
;-)Sharks aren’t as scary as you think. When you think of the amount of people that swim, surf, dive and snorkel in the ocean each year, it’s amazing that there aren’t more shark attacks. They don’t care for humans and don’t go out of their way to attack. If someone kept coming into my home to have a look each day, I’m sure I’d attack more than they do;-)By Gillian @OneGiantStep February 4, 2013 - 8:41 pm
OMG that looks crazy cool!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:17 am
Agreed, crazy cool is the word for this experience.
By Izy Berry - The Wrong Way Home February 4, 2013 - 8:29 pm
That’s quite incredible. I don’t know if I will ever have the courage to try something like this
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:17 am
I think you could do it Izy. Being in the cage makes it all perfectly safe and easy. You don’t have to do anything but dive down when they tell you to.
By Brandon Elijah Scott February 4, 2013 - 6:17 pm
Looks terrifying… But a must try!
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:19 am
I like hearing that Brandon. yes you must give it a try!
By Brandon Elijah Scott February 4, 2013 - 6:16 pm
This looks terrifying… But a must try!
By debndave July 23, 2013 - 10:21 am
Yes, definitely must try!
By Mike February 4, 2013 - 6:13 pm
I want to do this so bad! Can you not use snorkels either?
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 9:20 am
Hi Mike, no snorkels are allowed. That’s what we thought too, but then they explained that it’s better to just dive down and hold your breath. Charley Boorman went shark diving with this exact company doing it exactly the same way we did for his travel show, so we knew that it was the tops and best way to see the sharks.
By Tanya February 4, 2013 - 12:16 pm
I could never do something like this!! You are super brave for doing down there. I love seeing sharks from a distance but actually seeing them up close in a cage would scare me to death.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 10:12 am
The cage definitely helps a lot. We’ve dove and snorkelled with other sharks, but not great whites before. Each experience has been awesome. And if you have a fear, getting in the cage is the way to go. You have that safety between you and the shark.
By Jam @icoSnap February 4, 2013 - 10:10 am
One word to describe my thoughts: ‘WOW’. That is totally a once in a life time adventure that I may or may not want to do.
By debndave February 9, 2013 - 10:13 am
If you do go to South Africa, I highly recommend you go for it. It was so much fun and who knows how long the sharks will be around. Time is running out if something drastic isn’t done to save them.