The Western Cape is known as one of the world’s top destinations for Great White Shark viewing and tourism due to the high number of sharks in our waters. The Cape winter months, June – August, are prime for shark viewing.
Great White Sharks are found all along the Western Cape coastline, because the water temperatures are ideal for their needs. Other areas which have major Great White populations are the coastlines of the Atlantic north-east of the United States, Japan, Oceania, Chile, and the Mediterranean.
Dyer Island, just off Gansbaai and two hours outside of Cape Town, is sometimes referred to as ‘the Great White capital‘ as it has one of the densest Great White populations in the world. It is considered one of the best places to spot Great Whites in their natural habitat and it is where almost all shark research is done.
Nearby, False Bay, is the setting for some of the most memorable shark sightings due to its proximity to Seal Island, home to more than 75 000 Cape fur seals. These seals are prime prey for Great Whites. Taking a boat trip from False Bay out to Seal Island, you are bound to see them breaching and circling the island searching for an opportunity to strike.
The Great White Shark is one of few sharks known to lift its head above the sea surface to gaze at other objects, such as prey (known as ‘spy-hopping’). The breach is the result of its high speed approach to the surface and resulting momentum when hunting, in particular when hunting seals.
Great Whites are Apex predators and indomitable due to their great size (up to 6 metres in length and 2 tons in weight) and their rapid swimming speed. Their blue-grey dorsal fin and white underbelly also act as camouflage in the ocean and they often attack by ambush.
Mossel Bay too presents unique opportunities to view and experience Great Whites, due to it being highly accessible. The bay is extremely protected in the winter months and is known for calm sea conditions. Simon’s Town is also a lesser known shark watching spot.
For more adventurous types, there are numerous cage diving and swimming with sharks tour operators in False Bay, Mossel Bay, Gansbaai and Simon’s Town. Cage diving and swimming with sharks is a booming tourist market and is hugely popular.
A common practice in these excursions is to chum the water with fish to attract sharks and make the experience more exciting for participants. Some people argue however that these practices may make sharks more accustomed to humans being in their environment. They may also then associate human activity with food, making them more likely to attack humans.
Most shark tourism ventures argue however that this is unnecessary and paranoid rhetoric, as shark attacks are in fact extremely rare. There is an average of four fatal shark attacks per year – this is in all seas, all over the world. Hardly pandemic.
In reality, humans are more of a threat to sharks than the other way around. Great White Sharks are globally threatened due to over fishing, poaching (the jaws, teeth and fins are valuable), net entanglement, boat traffic and pollution. The Great White Shark is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, but is on the cusp of being labelled endangered.
So, make a plan to get out and see these beautiful and misunderstood ‘lions of the sea’ – one day it might be too late.
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