Trip Comments: “Fantastic day with an amazing crew! So incredible, helpful and understanding. Thanks for making our shark cage experience so nice and really a safe, sustainable and fun morning!” – The Ehrling Family
“Glad we got to see the sharks up so close, well managed event and crew!” – Priyanka
“The service was amazing, great people! We were just not lucky enough to spot the Great White!” – Ivan
26/12/2017
Location: Joubertsdam
Water Temperature: 16.1°C + 17.0°C + 17.0°C + 17.2°C
Depth: 9.0m + 9.8m + 9.0m + 11.2m
Visibility: 0.5m + 0.5m + 0.5m + 0.5m
Number of Sharks: 2 + 1 + 0 + 1
Conditions: Bright, clear day with increasing wind and average swell.
It was the day after Christmas and all through the bay there were sharks stiring and even a ray. The first trip headed out with the sun, making their way into the Shallows, the Copper sharks were ready for action and appeared quickly however a Whites seemed a little more elusive until, 30 minutes into the trip the first White shark appeared, a juvenile male, covered in small scars both fresh and healed. This male was amazing to watch, he stuck around the entire trip, only really retreating when the second White shark of the trip appeared, Mini Nemo. This second shark, whilst well known to use did not seem inclined to stick around today, with only two passes seen before he moved off, however not to worry the new, smaller male to the bay kept things interesting as did the Short-tailed stingrays that made a visit to the boat along with some Box jellyfish.
The second trip of the day was off to a great start with the same male appearing from the first trip. This male is new to the bay for the season but we hope to see a lot more of him over the next few days or weeks as he is so active and inquisitive around the boat. He stuck around for most of the trip only disappearing at the end and by that time the Copper sharks came in for a visit as well as the friendly Short-tailed stingrays. A nice, surprise addition to this trip was the very close pass by a mother/calf Southern Right whale pair, such a late time in the season this was an amazing sighting for our guests even if they had come for the White sharks.
Back on board Slashfin for the thrid trip of the day, this group practiced great patience with a White shark sighting in the distance however only close sightings of the Copper sharks. These sharks have easily become favourites of ours and our guests as they make such beautiful passes and are generally consistant with sightings, sticking around for majority of the trip for all to see. Not to miss out on the fun the rays were back for one last visit.
The final trip for Marine Dynamics was an exclusive on board Slashfin’s younger sister vessel, Dream Catcher. The group was made up of 3 families visiting from the United Kingdom, one family of which has visited us multiple times over the years. We hoped we could repeat the success of the previous years. Once our anchor spot was chosen we settled and hoped for the best, many of the other boats around us looked quite or perhaps working Copper sharks yet within 20 minutes we had two sharks approaching, one White shark and one Copper. Both species proceeded to come and go throughout the trip making for some fantastic views.
If you are looking to get up close and personal with the great white shark then Great White Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai, and more specifically with Marine Dynamics, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t want to miss. Book and pay online with us and get a free video of your encounter with the world’s apex predator.
