Shark Cage Diving Tour
Apex Shark Expeditions offers a fun half-day tour in Cape Town where you can see a variety of shark species throughout the year depending on the weather, season, water temperature and other many factors.
Our focus are on are species large, powerful, and active predators that will give you amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The shark species you will dive with may include the bronze whale shark (up to 3.5 metres long) and/or the seven-gill shark. Feedback on this dive has been excellent from our guests.
Whales, dolphins and many species of seabirds are commonly encountered on this adventurous tour. Since we run our tours in an ecosystem style, a trip with Apex Shark Expeditions is like a safari and we try to see as much marine life as possible on our trips.
Since the tours are based on natural occurrences, each trip is different and sightings are not guaranteed.
The starting point, Simon’s Town, is only 45 minutes from Cape Town’s city centre, 15 minutes from the Cape of Good Hope and only 2 minutes from Boulders Beach Penguin Colony.
Noble Tours offers round-trip and one-way transfers.
Reasons why you should choose Apex Shark Expeditions as your Shark Cage Dive operator:
– We are an officially licensed Shark Cage Dive operator with a crew specifically certified for this industry
– We offer half day tours
– We offer SCUBA for certified divers – but no experience is required to hold your breath-holding
– We offer the smallest group size of any shark diving company in the world (only 12 guests).
– We have received five-star certification from TripAdvisor 9 years in a row
Location:
Our area is Seal Island, False Bay. This is most famous as it has been featured in many documentaries, including Air Jaws on the Discovery Channel. You can also get up close and personal with the 65,000-strong Cape Fur seal colony on Seal Island (the largest seal colony on an island in Africa), as well as various seabirds (Cape cormorant, Bank cormorant, African penguins and black-Backed kelp gull).
Tour information:
Tours include dive gear (sizes S to 6XL), tea/coffee/biscuits on arrival, light lunch, snacks and refreshments on board.
Departing times:
1st tour anytime between 06:00 and 09:00 in the morning.
The tour lasts 3 – 4 hours (depending on shark activity and weather permitting).
The 2nd tour anytime between 11:00 and 13:00.
The tour lasts 3 – 4 hours (depending on the shark activity and the weather permitting).
Exact times will be communicated to you the day before and are subject to change. Since all our tours are weather dependent, we recommend that you book the first part of your stay. This way you can reschedule if we cannot go out to sea due to weather or sea conditions.
Please note: Sharks are wild animals and as such sightings and behaviour cannot be guaranteed.
Children’s Policy
Children must be 8 years old to board and 10 years old to dive in the cage. Children are prone to seasickness. If a child has experience at sea, we will reconsider our policy.
Our Boat and Cage
Our vessel is a 36-foot catamaran built specifically for cage diving and shark watching from the surface. A dry cabin, soft padded seats and a flush toilet ensure your comfort at sea. The vessel meets all safety requirements and white shark permit conditions.
Itinerary
The crew will welcome you at the Apex Shark Expeditions Centre in Simon’s Town. Prior to departure, guests will receive a safety and sighting briefing aboard the White Pointer II. You will sail into False Bay to the anchorage, a 25- to 35-minute boat ride, depending on sea and weather conditions.
Arrival at the anchorage
Depending on weather conditions, we decide on the best spot to weigh anchor and attract the sharks to the boat. The shark cage will then be released where it will float moored next to our vessel.
The guests will be informed by the crew about the safety of the shark cage and the behaviour of the sharks near the ship.
If a shark approaches our boat, the bait will be held in the water to keep the shark around long enough to identify, observe and dive in the cage.
As a touring company we practice modern, non-invasive methods of monitoring, documenting and observing local shark populations, interspecies dynamics (social co-operations) and interactions with porpoises (seals), cetaceans (dolphins and whales), fish and seabirds. We share this info with scientists to ensure the protection of sharks and marine wildlife.
The safety precautions and work procedures are explained to each guest who request to enter the shark cage.
Please note: the sharks come very close to the boat, so it is not necessary to dive inside the cage to see the sharks. Those who do not want to dive will have an excellent view of the sharks from the observation deck of the boat.
The White Pointer II will arrive back at Simon’s Town harbour.
Total time at sea is 3 to 4 hours, depending on weather conditions and shark activity. Tea and coffee are available on return at our shark centre in Simon’s Town.Browse our unique selection of shark merchandise and check out our Wall of Fame. Maybe you will find a familiar face or two there.
Arrangements
Tour Duration: 3 – 4 hours
When: We see a variety of shark species throughout the year, depending on the seasons, weather, water temperature and other factors, all year round. Tours are weather dependent and not species dependent.
Where: Guests meet at the Apex Shark Expeditions shop in the Boardwalk Centre, corner of Wharf and Main (St. Georges) Streets, Simon’s Town. Our vessel, White Pointer II, departs and returns to Simon’s Town Pier.
Weather: Weather permitting. The safety of our guests are priority. The skipper’s decision is final.
What to wear: Warm clothing in Winter: June to September – Closed-toe shoes, long trousers, waterproof jacket and cap/beanie.
Clothing in summer: October to April – windbreaker, cap/hat. All year round – Swimsuit. Swimsuit (which you put on under your clothes to make it easier to change into your wetsuit on board)
What to bring along: Dress in multiple layers, a warm weather jacket, closed toe shoes, hat, scarf, hat, polarised sunglasses, towel, swimsuit (under your clothes), sunscreen, and camera.
If you are prone to motion sickness, we recommend sturgeon or Dramamine tablets. Take one the night before the trip and another one an half hour before the scheduled meeting point. In order for you to enjoy the trip, we recommend that you do not drink too much alcohol the night before, as this can cause you to be very seasick the next day.
Guests or spectators: Divers and spectators on the surface pay the same price.
Requirements
Minimum age: 8 years
Fitness Level: No fitness requirements
Qualifications: Not applicable
Certification: None required
Experience level: No experience required
Inclusions and exclusions
Inclusions
Dive equipment including mask, snorkel, weight belt and wetsuit (5mm – sizes from small to XXXXXXL). Dedicated crew, textbook, light lunch, snacks and refreshments on board.
Exclusions
Transfers. A quote is required for transfers outside the centre of Cape Town. Offsite showers are available for an additional fee. Please ask for this at the time of booking.
For more information www.nobletours.co.za
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Shark Cage Diving Cape Town plus Boulders & Cape of Good Hope Tour (incl. roundtrip transfers)
Your full day tour begins with pick up from your hotel in Cape Town or surrounding areas by a Noble Tours specialised guide and driver. The exact time will be confirmed the day before the tour. The drive to Simon’s Town takes just 45 minutes from Cape Town, where you will meet the crew at the Apex Shark Expeditions shop before departing for your morning shark excursion. After disembarking, your shore tour will begin.
Boulders Beach Penguin Colony
You’ll reach the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony just five minutes outside Simon’s Town- home of the African Penguin. Experience these amusing birds up close in their own habitat. The sandy, compact bay with large boulders provides a home for the waddling penguins and their nesting sites. It is one of the few places where these endangered birds can be observed up close and roam freely in a protected natural environment. It started with just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3,000 birds in recent years. This is due in part to the decline of commercial pelagic trawling in False Bay, which has increased the supply of small baitfish that are part of the penguins’ diet. The area, bordered mainly by native scrub above the high-water mark on one side and the clear waters of False Bay on the other, consists of a series of small, sheltered bays, some of which are surrounded by 540-million-year-old granite boulders.
You will then meander through the most beautiful scenery to Cape Point.
The Cape of Good Hope
Cape Point, a World Heritage Site and Nature Reserve, is the only place in the world where you will find an area of enormous natural beauty, world famous for its natural vegetation and rich biodiversity.
Part of the Cape of Good Hope is not the southern tip of Africa, although it is located on the southwest corner of the Cape Peninsula, just a little south of Cape Point on the southeast corner.
This part of the park is home to a variety of fynbos, over 250 species of birds, bucks, baboons and Cape mountain zebras. There are numerous picnic areas, trails for hiking or mountain biking, and tidal pools on nearly deserted beaches.
The area is of rich cultural and historical significance and is home to monuments to early explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeo Dias. The Two Oceans Restaurant is a good option for lunch.
Return to your hotel at +- 5pm.
