Diving
shark diving

A holiday in South Africa is not complete without a visit to Cape Town...
Founded by the Dutch VOC (East India Company) in 1652, Jan van Riebeeck was ordered to organise supplies for the ships sailing between The Netherlands the East Indies. Gradually, this started the colonization of what is now known as South Africa.
Castle of Good Hope is still a reminder of those days, as are the Garrison Gardens. Then there is the adjacent History Museum, where around 1750 the first Malayan slaves were traded. Another 50 years later, the French Huguenot arrived, fleeing prosecution in Europe.
They started interfering with the wine farmers in The Cape, who couldn’t produce anything decent in those days and with their help they turned the wines into one of the biggest export products now.
Add another 100 years and the English made their arrival and South Africa changed identity a few times, from Dutch, to English, to Dutch and back again.
And obviously, there were the local ethnical tribes, who deviated, were occupied, decimated, suppressed or transformed to ‘Coloured’.
All of this now coexisting makes a colourful mix and leave Cape Town with an interesting storey to tell.
Then locate all this in a beautiful bay, enclosed by massive rock formations, with unique vegetation, in a very pleasant climate, and you have one of the world’s top cities.

Many of the sights are easy to visit on your own. The fort, the garrison gardens, the museums and Green Market Square are all in the city centre and are best visited on foot. The restaurants and shops are all to be found at The Waterfront, as well as the aquarium and IMAX theatre. A range of cruises are offered in the harbour, the most popular being the one to Robben Island – where in the old days leprosy would be quarantined, but what most people know because of Mr Mandela’s prolonged stay. Table Mountain, if not covered by clouds, is a must. The rotating cable car guides you up to 1000 meters above sea level and offers spectacular views.
If you’re into plants, try Kirchstenbosch Botanical Gardens, 20 km out of town and if you want to get a tan: stick you hand up, jump on a bus and 15 minutes later you’ll find yourself on the beach at Camps Bay or Clifton.

District 6 - A township tour through the history of apartheid.
Wine tasting in Stellenbosch and a visit to the historical city centre.
Cape Peninsula Tour - Cape Point Nature Reserve and Cape of Good Hope, sea lions at Houtbay and penguins at Boulders beach.

Pick up is between 05.00 and 06.00 in the morning. It’s about a 2 hours drive east to Gansbaai, where it is all going to happen. A nice breakfast is served as we wait for our boat to be prepared. The boat will take us to Dyers Island, 30 to 40 minutes away. The boat is especially designed and equipped for cage diving. The skipper is more than happy to elaborate on the whole event and maybe entertain you with some personal stories on the ‘Great White’.

Fish are thrown overboard to attract the sharks. The divers can enter the water as soon as the first shark arrives. This may happen after 5 minutes, but it can also take a long time; it is up to Mother Nature. Don’t forget to bring your camera, as this is good story material once back home. Wetsuits are available for those daring to enter the water for a close up, each taking turns in the cage. If you are certified it is also allowed to enter the cage with compressed air, but please keep in mind that that the bubbles might scare off the sharks and therefore it is actually recommended to snorkel.
Once in the water, should you be lucky enough to actually encounter ‘Jaws’, pushing against the cage, showing teeth, we can assure you an adrenaline rush that no roller coaster ride can match.
After the dive it is time for some snacks and to warm up with hot beverages. Weather permitting, on the way back the boat will try to approach Dyer Island to have a look (and a smell) at the seals. Our luck with the sharks determines what time we set foot ashore again.

Back on the mainland, a lunch will be waiting for us. In the afternoon you will be transferred back to Cape Town, hopefully with a big grin on your face after your get together with one of the most compelling, fearsome creatures of the sea, The Great White Shark.(This tour is weather dependant.)
You will be contacted the evening before the pick up to discuss the last details. It is possible that the trip will be cancelled on short notice.

The cage diving is performed 12 km out onto the ocean and the conditions are not always suitable.
It is also possible that no sharks occur on the trip, there are no guarantees in nature. However, the local operator likes to boast a scoring percentage of around 90%. Should the sharks have eluded you, the operator offers you another try the next day, if there’s space on the boat. No refunds are being made.
It is advisable to bring seasick tablets and warm clothes.

The hotel is called Lions Head Lodge and is situated in the trendy area Seapoint, right at the foot of Lions head Hill. It has double rooms and 4 bedded dorms, a restaurant, a bar, a travel centre and a launderette. Seapoint is located in between city centre and the Waterfront on one side, and the Cape Town beaches on the other.
Most tourist’s spots are at reasonable distance, by taxi or even on foot. Seapoint, as well as the Waterfront are the places to go out for drinks and dinner. (Accommodation is dependant on availability)

€450 Per Person. Book online with us.

As stated below this includes 3 nights in a hotel in Cape Town (en-suite). Transfers to and from airport.
Minimum 2 people.
This package can be extended.

• 3 nights in hotel in Cape Town.
• Transfers to and from airport.
• Cage diving in Gansbaai
• local back up.

Flight, food and drinks, other excursions, personal spending.

Day 1 Arrival in Cape Town.
Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel in Cape Town.
Afternoon at your own disposal.

Day 2 Cage diving in Gansbaai.

Day 3 day at your own disposal or if necessary, another try in Gansbaai.

Day 4 drop off at airport.

Should you book a diving safari in Mozambique or South Africa and wish to extend with this package to Cape Town, it is wise mention this when booking. The flight will be adjusted accordingly.

In this 19 day trip there are 7 days available for diving if you want to, at 3 different locations.

Mozambique is gaining popularity as a dive and watersports paradise; as far as coral reefs and fish population, it can easily compete with renowned destinations like Asia and the Caribbean, the only difference being that mass tourism hasn´t spoilt it yet. Let yourself roll into the tropical waters – the chance is considerable that you´ll encounter a dolphin, humpback whale, whale shark, manta or giant turtle.

For the fanatics, we have put together packages of 10 dives at discount rates.

Dive package, 12 dives, excluding gear US$ 220

Dive package, 12 dives, including gear US$ 280

This is payable in cash US$ at the start of the trip in Pretoria. Restitution is only applicable when the local dive operator would cancel. These prices are indications. Individual accounts are kept and the balance settled at the end of the trip. Naturally, it´s also possible to book individual dives and sometimes we push for extra dives. Should you have your own dive equipment, we do advise to bring it.
Special training can be provided by the dive school in Tofo, like deep dive training, marine biology, navigation or intro dives. Please let us now when you book if you´d like to dive and if yes, would you like a package, do you require an outfit and would you like to do a training. All the dives are boat dives, conditions can be a bit choppy and currents or surge can occur. The temperature averages from 22°C in May up to 24°C in December, making a 5 mill full length suit with cap desirable. Visibility is about 15 meters and the depth ranges from 12 up to 25 meters. It is advisable to bring pills for motion sickness.

The big attraction of diving in Mozambique is Big Game fish.
We were running these from July up to December last year and have seen whale sharks in every trip, mantas in every trip as well as dolphins and turtles. Humpback whales we spotted in every trip until October when the season finishes. Sharks we saw occasionally.

The diving is subject to weather conditions or other unforeseen problems.

8 - 20

If you are an individual or part of a small group.. please get in touch as we can combine groups and add people to existing trips.

- All transport by 4x4 overland truck
- All boat transfers
- All camping accommodation and 8 nights bedded accommodation
- Use of camping equipment
- All entrance fees
- 2 experienced guides/drivers/cooks

16 May
30 May
13 June
20 June
9 July
11 July
1 August
22 August
12 September
3 October
10 October
31 October
28 November
19 December

Please get in touch for 2005 dates.

£600
* Christmas surcharge £75