Gansbaai offers a rare chance to see the ultimate marine predator. With an island packed with breeding seals just offshore, Gansbaai is one of the finest locations on Earth to get up close and personal with the great while shark.

Shark Center

Gansbaai initially appears to offer little as a dive destination, with a small harbor on a rocky shore that is frequently battered by large swells. It is only when the diver stands on the wharf and squints into the middle distance that the reason for this site’s global fame emerges. A low island several miles offshore is the home of 60 00,000 fur seals, and proves irresistible to the great whites that cruise this region of South Africa. Great whites are one of the ocean’s most formidable predators, growing up to 20 ft (6 m) in length. The great white’s notoriety as a man-eater, however, is a misrepresentation of this fascinating creature, about which surprisingly little is known.

Main Attraction

The presence of the sharks has spawned a thriving industry, with thrill-seekers coming from all over the world to dive with the great whites. Only cage diving is permitted with the sharks, but it is possible to dive within the seal colonies around the island in certain regions that are considered safe by local dive operators, farther afield, there are beautiful cold-water reefs covered in swaying fields of kelp, but their is really only one reason why divers visit Gansbaai    that most magnificent of marine predators, the great while shark.

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