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The Great White Shark.
Bookings for Great White Shark diving and viewing trips
The area surrounding Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, as well as the
channel, are reputed worldwide to be The Best Place in the World to
observe and dive with the Great White Shark. The period April to December corresponds to our Primary High Viewing and Diving Shark Season.
During that time, several sharks may be observed in one day, and you have
a 90-95% chance of observing sharks and a 80-90% chance of diving with
these sharks. But this period also corresponds to our winter season, and
winter storms prevent us sometimes to go out to sea for a few days, so
schedule some additionnal days into your planning. During the time June
through September, the sharks are present in large numbers , the sharks
seem to be most active also , the water temperature is at its "warmest"
(between 15 and 22 degrees Celcius), and the average water visibility is
also at its best with the visibility reaching on some days over 20 meters.
Great white sharks prefer a diet of game fish and from April to September
the latter are in abundance. Great whites are also known to feed on seals
of which there are plenty on the permanent colony of Geyser Rock facing
Dyer Island. October to December, being the pupping season for some 30,000 Cape Fur
Seals on Geyser Rock, results in an ample food supply pups in the
surrounding coastal waters.Hence the waters around the island are teeming with sharks. It is the world's most favourable site for watching this predator fish. Particularly numerous is
the huge White Shark (carcharodon carcharias) that can reach a length of
almost 8 metres, in average being 3.5 metres long. Largest Great White recorded was 6.4 metres (21 feet), weighing 3 312 kilograms.
The largest great White caught in Gansbaai weighed 2 450 kg - a female
6.45meters in length. The liver alone weighed 560kg. Caught by Hendrik
Groenewald who was trawling for pilchards in January 1987.
The jaw can
be seen at the Dyer Island Fisheries. It is 60 cm wide and 90cm long and
weighed 15 kg.
The island under the protection of Cape Nature Conservation is an
important bird sanctuary (with Jackass Penguins and the rare African Black
Oyster Catchers).
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Bookings for Shark Cage Diving trip
Click here to see some Video of shark cage diving
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