15 Diving Trips in South Africa Worth Booking

1.From Hermanus or Cape Town: Shark Cage Diving Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 684 reviews · 4.5 - 10 hours · from $137Our pick

Travel from Cape Town or Hermanus to Gansbaai for breakfast, a safety briefing, and 2 to 4 hours at sea with White Shark Projects. You’ll use a supplied 7 mm wetsuit and share a cage with up to five others, often seeing bronze whalers and sometimes seven-gill sharks, seals, whales, or great whites.

“I loved the entire day! Very well organized. They had everything planned out to the minute and ran so smoothly. Sharks were amazing! Was so nervous but they helped alleviate the fear. I accidentally left my swim trunks at their site and they made sure to arrange transpiration to return them. So nice and kind of them.”

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2.Shark Cage Diving and Viewing with transport from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 576 reviews · from $251

Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai for a full-day shark cage encounter with Marine Dynamics. You get hotel transport, breakfast, safety briefing, gear, boat time near Dyer Island, marine education, snacks, and a chance to see bronze whalers, sevengill sharks, stingrays, seals, or great whites.

“Their who operation what awesome, they went the extra mile to make sure people were taken care of and had a good time and the tour includes lots of little extras that really made it great, like a hot shower after you get out of the water, snacks before, after, and during the tour, they offered blankets and hot water bottles if people were cold, and for people like me that ended up seasick for part of it, they were very attentive and tried their best to make me comfortable given the situation.”

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3.Gansbaai Eco-Friendly Shark Cage Diving Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 326 reviews · 6 - 10 hours · from $237

Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai for a supervised shark cage experience with Marine Dynamics. Meet bronze whaler sharks from the cage or boat deck, learn from a marine biologist, and visit the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary. Breakfast, lunch, equipment, and transfers are available.

“this trip was absolutely amazing goronia (sorry for sure spelt wrong) was awesome, so much knowledge and so enthusiastic 😀 the experience itself was awesome. loads of sharks even banged into cage which was totally amazing, the videographer bee was so funny and got great shots of ppl in cage and the sharks, the crew on a whole was crazy and fun loving 😀 couldn't have asked for a better experience”

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4.Half-Day White Shark Cage Diving from Gansbaai

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 310 reviews · from $166

Start at 7:00 a.m. in Van Dyks Bay for a three-hour great white shark cage encounter with White Shark Projects. You get breakfast, gear, towels, boat refreshments, a light lunch, and hot showers afterward. The cage sessions last about 20 minutes, but sightings depend on wildlife and weather.

“This was horrible- long and far from Cape Town, poor communication, and no one told us that the Great White are no longer coming around the waters they cruise. They did not even put the cage in the water and only 2 sharks came and went. NOT worth the money or the time. The only saving grace was the scenery down to the dock.”

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5.Shark Cage Diving

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 221 reviews · from $118

Join Sharklady Adventures from Van Dyk’s Bay for about 3.5 hours at sea. Watch Great White Sharks from a 12-meter catamaran, then enter a floating cage if qualified or snorkel and breath-hold. Equipment, wetsuits, snacks, drinks, and unlimited cage time are included.

“A lot of sharks were close to the boat. Good helpful staff. We had luck with weather. Sea was calm..”

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6.Shark Cage Diving – Adventure Meets Conservation!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 196 reviews · from $143Top rated

From Gansbaai, you spend about 4.5 hours at sea, taking turns in an eight-person cage near great white and bronze whaler sharks. The crew supplies wetsuits, masks, meals, and conservation guidance. Cape Town transfers are available for R800 per person.

“Experiencia única y trato estupendo. Totalmente recomendable. Se ven un monto de tiburones y los puedes ver de cerca.”

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7.CapeTown: Shark Cage Diving Experience with Scuba

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 146 reviews · from $218

Meet the crew at Simon’s Town for a small-group boat trip to Seal Island or Cape Point. You’ll learn about shark behavior, use scuba equipment in the cage, and may see bronze whalers, blue sharks, makos, seals, dolphins, or whales. Transfers cost extra, and weather can change the plan.

“It was an amazing experiences. The boat ride was truly mesmerizing and I loved the additional stops especially seeing the small seals. We ran into a family of dolphins and it was amazing. Out of this world experience.”

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8.Shark Cage Diving Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 114 reviews · from $229

Meet Apex Shark Expeditions in Simon’s Town for a four-hour shark cage experience near Seal Island or Cape Point. You’ll receive a safety briefing, boat out with up to 12 people, and use supplied gear while guides search for bronze whalers, seven-gills, blue sharks, or makos. Breakfast, snacks, towels, and refreshments are included.

“Wow what an amazing experience. We saw lots of sharks as well as a visit to see the seals. The crew were amazing, very knowledgable, helpful and welcoming. Special shout out for Brandon. Would definitely recommend 🦈”

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9.Shark Cage Diving and Viewing with transport from Hermanus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 81 reviews · from $234

From Hermanus, ride to Gansbaai for a 2.5 to 3-hour cage encounter aboard Slashfin. A marine biologist explains shark behavior while you look for bronze whalers and seven-gill sharks near Shark Alley. Transfers, breakfast, gear, towels, refreshments, and a penguin sanctuary visit are included.

“Nice boat, nice crew, no sharks :((( They were organized and made you feel safe. Breakfast was included.”

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10.Shark Cage Diving Viewing Only

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 69 reviews · from $126

Join White Shark Diving Company in Gansbaai for a 4.5-hour shark viewing trip without entering the cage. You’ll enjoy breakfast, a boat ride to the site, expert commentary, snacks, lunch, and post-trip video footage while watching sharks and other marine animals from the deck.

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11.Guided Shark Cage Diving with Hookah Air Supply in Gansbaai

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 41 reviews · from $190

Meet at 9 Kus Drive in Gansbaai for a four-hour shark cage experience with hookah air, wetsuit, hood, booties, meals, and a boat ride. You spend about 2 to 2.5 hours at sea, with a seal colony alternative possible when sharks stay away.

“The sharks weren't biting (so-to-speak), so we went instead to the seal colony & dipped in the cage with them. The experience was wonderful & the hosts full of information. It was very educational.”

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12.Shark Cage Diving with transport from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $361

Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai, enjoy breakfast at the Great White House, suit up, and watch sharks from a secure cage near Dyer Island. Paul Polano Tours provides transport, gear, towels, refreshments, and a marine biologist onboard. The full outing takes about 10 hours.

“By far one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. I was celebrating my 44th birthday and My guide Paul gave me a wealth of African history on the drive up. The drive to the dive site is a couple of hours from cape town, so I hade an oppoRead more”

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13.Shark Cage Diving with Snacks and Soft Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 4 hours · from $233

Join Shark Explorers for a four-hour False Bay boat trip from 62 St George’s St. Guides including Ernesto, Jason, Stephen, and Nina explain shark behavior before you enter a partially submerged cage. Expect wetsuits, snacks, hot drinks, and possible sightings of dolphins, seals, penguins, whales, and seven-gilled sharks.

“10/10 experience. Nina, Jason and Ernest were all incredibly welcoming and friendly. They made sure to explain everything (so that we felt re-assured) and answered any questions that we had about the sharks. We saw 10 to 12 sharks, they seemed genuinely excited for us and especially about sightings of the slightly more rare 7 gilled sharks! Shoutout must also go to Lindy, who was super responsive to any queries beforehand and was welcoming and approachable on the day. Would highly recommend cage diving with this crew.”

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14.Shark Cage Diving Tour from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 19 reviews · from $233

Leave Cape Town at 6am for Gansbaai Harbour, then boat out to Shark Alley for a cage encounter or deck viewing. Breakfast, lunch, safety briefing, hotel transport, a warm shower, and a cage certificate are included. Shark sightings are never guaranteed.

“Trip has a very early start but they provide a breakfast when you arrive, about a 2 hour drive. They run over the security and what to do and expect- very funny guy! The water can be choppy, so remember that Dramamine! They hadn't seen aRead more”

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15.Shark Cage Diving and Penguin Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 15 reviews · 9 hours · from $310

Leave Cape Town before sunrise for Gansbaai, where a three-hour boat trip gives you a chance to see great white sharks from a shared cage. After lunch, visit African penguins at Stony Point or, on some departures, a nearby rescue center. Expect a weather-dependent day and changing schedules.

“everything about the shark drive was awesome, the guides were friendly, helpful and it was an incredible experience! they do bait the sharks in case anyone's wondering (which I have mixed feelings about). next, the listed time says 6am on here, however, pick up was actually at 4am. we also returned much earlier than the listed time. also there was no stop at Betty's Bay to see penguins and no ride scenic along R44, with a nice stop along the way. instead, we were inland and drove through route 2. that was annoying and it wasn't even mentioned. we instead stopped at African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary - Gansbaai, which…”

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