Diving in South Africa

There are three very good reasons to dive in South Africa – sharks, sharks and sharks. South Africa has many excellent diving destinations, but the vast majority of the international dive travellers come specifically for the opportunity for in-water encounters with the apex predators of the region – White Sharks, Tiger Sharks and Bull Sharks. The three main destinations listed below all offer baited shark diving; chumming and in the cage diving with White Sharks; and chumming and baiting in open water with Tiger Sharks and Bull Sharks. There remains significant international debate within the dive community regarding baited shark dives, with those who are against arguing that baiting practices affect the normal behavior of the sharks in a negative way. The normal behavior of a shark these days is to get caught, finned and killed, and if “shark tourism” is a way to help local communities understand that a live shark is worth more than a dead shark, than “baited shark diving” can serve as a constructive way for us to learn more about these magnificent creatures and work together to protect them from near imminent extinction. The shark diving operators with whom we work with in South Africa are pioneers in their field, have been operating with the highest standards of safety and service for years and are actively involved in preservation and protection efforts and initiatives.