When we think of South Africa, there’s a good chance that sharks aren’t the first type of animal that comes to mind. Amazingly, the waters around the nation are some of the best for spotting these great beasts. It could be time to take to the water and some of the best places to spot sharks in South Africa.
Cape Town
There are a whole host of tours and cage diving experiences available across Cape Town that all promise to take you one step closer to the most famous shark in the world: the great white. Most usually travel around for several hours and have everything you need to spot the sharks from the comfort of the boat. If you want to get a little closer to the action, several companies offer cage diving experiences that mean you can watch the sharks from the comfort of a safety cage. If you’re lucky, then some sharks might even feast before your eyes.
Shark Alley
It might be no surprise that Shark Alley is filled with some of the most impressive sharks in the world, let alone around South Africa. The area of water between Geyser Rock and Dyer Island is filled with plenty of seals, meaning there is no shortage of food on offer for the beasts of the water. May to August is the busiest time for the sharks as that’s when the seal pups fill the sea. As if that wasn’t enough of a reason to visit Shark Alley, it’s also one of the best places for watching shark breaching. That’s right; you could be moments away from seeing a shark flying through the air.
Gansbaai
Gansbaai is a popular fishing town in South Africa, but that’s not the only reason so many people have flocked to the area over the years. It’s common to see copper sharks, great whites, and even stingrays in the area. Several companies offer tours of the water, while some even give adrenaline-loving visitors a chance to get up close and personal with cage diving experiences. Marine biologists often love to spend time in Gansbaai to study various sea life, meaning some tours are lucky enough to have an expert by their side during each trip.
Seal Island
Seal Island in South Africa has gone down as one of natural history’s greatest achievements. Of course, as the name suggests, it’s filled with hundreds of seals that all find themselves sitting meals for the waiting sharks in the water. It’s often used in breeding seasons, meaning sharks merely have to bide their time for another meal. If you want to watch a shark hunt in the wild, you might want to add a trip to Seal Island to your bucket list. Oh, and did we mention sharks often breach the water and put on aerial displays in the area, too?
If you’re looking for the best places to spot sharks in South Africa, then you might not have to look too much further. It turns out there’s no end to the list of places to spot these magnificent animals.
