South Africa: Gansbaai and shark cages

July 15, 2023
Western Cape
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Gansbaai is a fishing town and popular tourist destination in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is known for its cage diving in search of sharks and for whale watching. We spent a couple days in this small town exploring the region.

It was time to say goodbye to Cape Town and head east along the cape to the small coastal town of Gansbaai, which was about a two-and-a-half-hour drive. Our route followed the coast, passing south of the most famous wine regions of South Africa, centred around the town of Stellenbosch. There are numerous vineyards in this area, several of which are open to visitors. We had been enjoying the South African wines during our stay, but we didn’t have any interest in a vineyard tour, but we thought we’d do a short detour to see what the town of Stellenbosch was like.

The day had started as a beautiful one, but as we travelled east down the Cape, the clouds rolled in, and the sun disappear. By the time we reached the seaside town of Hermanus, the sun was gone, and rain was in the air. As we rolled through Hermanus nothing really appealed about the town (I am not sure we gave it a fair shot, to be honest), but just as we left the town there was a beach that looked nice, even in the grey weather. Hermanus is famous as a place where whales, particularly southern right whales pass through this time of year – but with a grey-coloured sea and sky with poor visibility our hopes were not high of seeing a whale – and sadly, that proved to be the case. But this did not stop us from taking a walk along the beach, which has some lovely sand dunes. We stopped briefly to watch a couple of young boys skimming across the waves on boards before jumping back in the car and continuing on to Gansbaai.

I had booked us to stay in the Platbos Forest Cabins about 15 minutes away from the town of Gansbaai in the Platbos Forest. Luckily, the combination of GPS and Google Maps got us to the entrance of the forest and from there we followed the signs which led us to a dirt road for a couple of kilometres. Now the road was very bumpy with large rocks, and we were travelling in a tiny hatchback car with low clearance. Even when I was driving slowly it was hard not to bottom the car out. Finally, we reached an open field where we had to pick up our car and collect the wood for our fire and the water heater for the shower. A trail led us through the forest about 100m to where our cabin was. It was in a small opening with a fire pit and a separate bathroom. To call this a cabin was misleading as all the walls were canvas, which you could roll up, so the space was completely open to the elements. The weather didn’t really suit that, so we just opened one panel. The ‘cabins’ are totally off-grid, so we had solar-powered lights, a gas stove for cooking and wood burning stove for heat. All this said the ‘cabin’ was cosy and with some lovely wooden furniture and was very spacious.

Cage Diving

One of the things I had wanted to do when travelling in South Africa was to go shark cage diving, and one of the best places to do this is around Gansbaai – so I had booked us on a tour with a company called Marine Dynamics to do just this. Although I was excited to do this, I was a little nervous, but not as much as Karen was. So, when we woke up and got ready to leave for the tour, we both had trepidations.

We arrived at the Kleinbaai office of Marine Dynamics around 9:30 to get registered and have a briefing. It turned out there was a good number of people joining us on this tour – around 30. As we sat waiting Karen got talking to a young, black man who was from Johannesburg and taking his vacation (as he was told to by his boss). Like us, he wanted to tick this off his bucket list. Breakfast was provided but everyone seemed a little nervous – so there was no big rush to get fed.

After our briefing, we went downstairs, where we were fitted with our lifejackets before taking the short walk down to the harbour where we boarded our boat, which seemed frighteningly small.

It was a 15-minute ride out to the area where we’d take our dip into the sea with the sharks. The swell of the sea was not too bad when we arrived and the skies had cleared, so visibility, at least on the surface of the water was fairly good. The boat pulled up and the cage was lowered into the water and tied to the side of the boat. We were given our wet suits to change into, which was a bit of a challenge with about 30 people on the boat, plus the crew and little room to manoeuvre. Eventually, we were all togged up and the crew started to put some oily, fishy gloop in the water to attract the sharks.

The way that the shark cage works is that 8 to 9 people climb over the side of the boat at a time into the cage, which is quite snug. The cage is totally enclosed so you are quite safe unless you stick a hand, arm or leg through the bars of the cage. Once everyone is inside the cage, they put the roof of it down. In the cage, there are two bars. The lower one is to stand on, so your head is above the water – which is important for breathing as you don’t get a snorkel or diving tank. The second bar is higher up and used to pull yourself underwater and hold you there. Once the sharks arrived two members of the crew have lures to draw them towards the cage and when they get close, they shout instructions for you to dive below the water to see the sharks.

We decided not to be in the first group, so we could see how it went. Climbing into the cage on a bobbing boat was a bit of a challenge, but the cage was soon loaded up and were we up and away. A couple of copper sharks had been attracted by the lures and for the next 10 minutes, they were drawn to the cage. They get very close, almost to the point of touching the sides – but not quite. The big draw of the area used to be the large population of great white sharks, with female sharks being common in the area. Sadly, a group of orcas moved into the seas around Gansbaai and took a fancy to the sharks and started taking big chunks out of them. Several great whites washed up dead on the beaches. Whilst sharks are not too bright, they were smart enough to move out of the area, so they are rarely seen on the shark cage tours nowadays – very sad for us and the sharks.

After about 10 to 15 minutes the first group’s time was up, and it was our turn to climb into the cage. It was a little cumbersome to climb down into the cage, but our minds were soon taken off of this by the cold water – it was chilly, to say the least – luckily the wetsuits did their job and soon it didn’t feel too bad. It was not long before the crew had drawn the sharks towards us. It was an interesting experience to bob below the water for a few seconds every time the crew member shouted, “Shark left”, staying underwater for a few seconds as the shark swan close by us. After a minute or so you get into a rhythm, and it was great fun. We were very lucky, because as well as the copper sharks, which were about 2 metres plus long, we had a very large stingray swim right up to the cage. It was very sad when we had to climb out of the cage and let the last group have their turn.

When everyone was done it was time to return back to shore. Getting out of the wetsuits whilst the boat was moving was much harder than when we were stationary, so we decided to keep ours on until we were back on land. On the way back we were treated to a display of a young Southern right whale ‘breaching’ several times as we passed by.

Once we reached land, we went off to find somewhere to change and get a shower. All our fellow cage divers had already changed on the boat and disappeared to get a bowl of hot soup and some bread. By the time we had got showered and changed and reached the room where the food was being served most people had had their fill and left. Luckily, there was still some left for us.

Klipgat cave

I had read about some sea caves at a beach called Klipgat, just north of Gansabaai. The beach is in a nature reserve, so you must pay to enter. After the gate, it was only a short drive to the parking lot. The beach is down in a little cove below the cliffs, and the only way down is via some steps. At the bottom, there were only four other people on the beach, which was small, but still deserted with only that many people on it. The caves were slightly along the cliffs from the beach across some rocks. It wasn’t far, but the tide was coming in so getting there was a slippery business. I just about made it, but Karen decided she didn’t fancy the risk of slipping into the water. To be honest the caves were okay but not great. Before leaving we decided just to sit down and enjoy the sunshine and the waves lapping up on the beach.

Beachcombing

There are some lovely beaches along the coast between Hermanus and Gansbaai, but swimming here can be treacherous due to the prevailing currents.

An alternative to the beaches is the rocky shores which are ideal for beachcombing and checking out the tide pools.

Whale watching

Whale watching is one of the major attractions of the Western Cape. The peak time, when daily sightings are virtually guaranteed, is during September and October. Humpbacks and Bryde’s whales are mostly spotted offshore from boats, but by far the most commonly sighted species, either from land or from a boat, is the Southern Right whale. These majestic giants migrate to the South African waters from the Antarctic Ocean to calf in June and begin the long journey back again at the end of November or the beginning of December.

Coming close up with a Southern Right whale in its natural habitat is an exhilarating experience, and you certainly get a thrill from boat-based whale watching. However, if your sea legs really aren’t that strong, then watching whales from the shoreline or from the cliff tops is still a fantastic experience.

Best time to visit Gansbaai

South Africa’s winter and summer seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere; June to August is the coldest period while December, January, and February are characterized by hot weather, little wind, and blue skies. Summer is therefore the best time to visit if you plan on hiking or enjoying the beach. However, winter offers the best underwater visibility and is therefore the optimum time for shark diving. Additionally, while sharks can be seen all year round, June to September offers the highest chance of great white sightings. May to December is whale migration season.

Where to stay in Gansbaai

1. PLATBOS FOREST CABINS

Platbos Forest offers self-catering accommodation in an indigenous forest found on the Baviaanspoort Hills in Gansbaai. This ancient forest has trees that date back over 1000 years in age. This endangered and rare ecosystem is one of a kind and worth the visit.

Our cabin was in a small opening with a fire pit and a separate bathroom. To call this a cabin was misleading as all the walls were canvas, which you could roll up so the space was completely open to the elements. The weather didn’t really suit that so we just opened one panel. The ‘cabins’ are totally off-grid, so we had solar-powered lights, a gas stove for cooking and wood burning stove for heat. All this said the ‘cabin’ was cosy and with some lovely wooden furniture and was very spacious.

2. EGRETS` ĂRK

Set in Gansbaai, 1.3 km from Romansbaai Beach, EGRETS` ĂRK offers accommodation with a shared lounge, free WiFi and a shared kitchen. Boasting free private parking, the villa is in an area where guests can engage in activities such as hiking, windsurfing and diving.

The villa with a terrace and garden views has 3 bedrooms, a living room, a flat-screen TV, an equipped kitchen with a fridge and an oven, and 3 bathrooms with a shower. The property also has 3 bathrooms with free toiletries.

The villa offers a barbecue. Fishing and canoeing can be enjoyed nearby, while a car rental service and a private beach area are also available on-site.

3. WHALE SEA COTTAGE

Set in Gansbaai, just 1.2 km from Stanford’s Bay, Whale Sea Cottage offers beachfront accommodation with an outdoor swimming pool, a garden, a terrace and free WiFi. This property offers access to a balcony and free private parking.

This villa has 4 bedrooms, a kitchen with a microwave and a fridge, a TV, a seating area and 3 bathrooms.