Shark Cage Diving: The 15 Best Boats Out of Gansbaai

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

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

Head from Cape Town or Hermanus to Gansbaai for a full shark encounter with White Shark Projects. You’ll receive breakfast, safety training, a 7 mm wetsuit, boat time, and about 20 minutes in the cage. The crew may introduce you to bronze whalers, seven-gill cow sharks, seals, or, less often, great whites.

“This activity was exceptionally well organized. Pickup was complicated for my location, but new arrangements were made and all worked smoothly. The Shark Project's team and facility is very welcoming with breakfast provided before the dive and a light lunch afterward. Also hot showers, towels, the works. The crew is super friendly, knowledgeable and capable and worked diligently to make this a great experience. The only downside is that the sharks were somewhat uncooperative, so encounters underwater were mostly quick glances of tails.”

Check availability →Read our full review

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 cage encounter with wild sharks. Marine Dynamics provides hotel transport, breakfast, gear, a marine-biologist guide, boat time near Dyer Island, snacks, and hot refreshments. You may see great whites, bronze whalers, sevengills, stingrays, and seals, but sightings are never guaranteed.

“Despite the very early start and long drive it was a fantastic day. We were open minded about what we would see but we were not disappointed. We saw several bronze whalers, a sevengill, a couple of stingray and a very playful cape seal. As the sea is very murky it was quite difficult to see them below the surface but you had a great view of them swimming past the cage while your head was above water. It was amazing to get so close to them. The crew looked after us all day. We had a nice breakfast before we sailed and snacks, hot drinks on the boat with…”

Check availability →Read our full review

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 full-day shark cage experience with Marine Dynamics. You’ll ride the Slashfin boat, learn from a marine biologist, watch bronze whaler sharks from the cage or deck, and visit the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary. Great white sightings are not guaranteed.

“Absolutley incredible! Highlight of SA so far. Saw about 20 bronzer sharks, personally i dont think you can be disappointed about not seeing a great white when these are so amazing. Some were massive! Its not as scary as you think i felt super safe and what a view of these amazing animals. The whole tour was set up so well. Amy and Suzie were soo lovely and informative! And our videographer , so happy with the video. We saw a big pod of dolphins too! You must book! X”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Half-Day White Shark Cage Diving from Gansbaai

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

Meet White Shark Projects in Van Dyks Bay at 7:00 am for a roughly three-hour great white shark cage experience. You’ll receive gear, breakfast, refreshments, a light lunch, towels, and hot showers afterward. The small group is capped at 20, but shark sightings and cage time depend on weather and animal activity.

“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.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Shark Cage Diving

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

Join Sharklady Adventures at Van Dyk’s Bay for about three and a half hours at sea. You’ll watch Great White Sharks from a 12-meter catamaran, then enter the floating cage for breath-hold, snorkel, or qualified scuba viewing. The trip includes wetsuits, snorkel gear, drinks, snacks, and educational talks, with no shark feeding.

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

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Shark Cage Diving – Adventure Meets Conservation!

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

Meet at 9 Kus Drive in Gansbaai for breakfast, a safety briefing, and a 20-minute boat ride to the shark site. You take turns in an eight-person cage with wet suits, booties, and masks, while the rest of the group watches from the deck. Great whites are not guaranteed, but a no-shark voucher lets you return within two years.

“This is a great company doing important work. Their staff were professional and informative. Unfortunately, the day we went, visibility underwater was poor, there were maybe 7ft swells (lots of seasickness, I took Dramamine and was still queRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Cruise with Shark Cage Dive and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 184 reviews · 1 day · from $168

From Hermanus, travel to Kleinbaai Harbour for a shark cage encounter at Shark Alley. You’ll get breakfast, wetsuits, masks, boat drinks, lunch, and guidance in English or Afrikaans. Marine biologists explain shark behavior while a four or five-person cage rotates through the group. Great whites are not guaranteed, but bronze whalers often provide close views.

“Overall good - very nice service. But not many shark whne we was on the sea”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.CapeTown: Shark Cage Diving Experience with Scuba

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

Meet your captain and crew at Simon’s Town for a roughly 3.5-hour shark cage experience at Seal Island. You’ll use supplied scuba equipment to spend time underwater with bronze whaler sharks, with possible Cape Point trips for blue and mako sharks. Seals, dolphins, whales, and seabirds may add to the outing.

“We had the day rearranged as the crew advised it was bad conditions and wouldn’t have been pleasant - we’re so glad they did! We had lots of sharks and seals and the crew were very friendly and professional.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Shark Cage Diving Cape Town

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

Meet Apex Shark Expeditions in Simon’s Town for a four-hour ocean trip toward Seal Island or Cape Point. You’ll receive a safety briefing, boat out with up to 12 people, and enter a sturdy cage in groups of four. Sharks may include bronze whalers, seven-gills, blue sharks, or makos. Brandon is one of the crew members praised for his warm help.

“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 🦈”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Shark Cage Diving and Viewing with transport from Hermanus

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

Travel from Hermanus to Gansbaai for a 2.5 to 3-hour shark cage experience aboard Slashfin. A marine biologist explains shark behavior as you look for bronze whalers and seven-gill sharks near Shark Alley. Transfers, breakfast, equipment, towels, refreshments, and a free African penguin sanctuary visit are included.

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

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Shark Cage Diving Viewing Only

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

Head from Gansbaai to a shark-viewing site on a small boat, staying dry on the viewing deck while cage participants take turns in the water. Your crew provides breakfast, snacks, lunch, safety guidance, and a post-trip meal with video footage. Cape Town transport costs extra.

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Shark Cage Dive

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 46 reviews · 3 hours · from $274

From Simon’s Town, Apex Shark Expeditions takes up to 12 people into False Bay for about three hours. You’ll receive a safety briefing, warm gear, and time in a surface cage while the crew looks for bronze whaler sharks, seals, dolphins, whales, and seabirds. Ryan and Brandon are among the crew members praised for clear instructions and calm handling.

“Definitely recommendable. Was a great adventure and the staff is very friendly and highly experienced. They definitely know what they are doing. Thanks a lot Taylor& Alex”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Shark Dive & Whale Watching Combo Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 22 reviews · 6 - 12 hours · from $292

Ivanhoe Sea Safaris combines a shark cage experience near Dyer Island with a southern right whale trip from Gansbaai. You can complete both on one long day or split them over two days. Breakfast and wetsuit rental are included, Cape Town pickup is optional, and the English-language experience suits visitors who want close marine wildlife encounters without needing scuba training.

“Shark Diving was absolutely great, the driver arrived on time and the drive to Gansbaai was smooth. They gave us breakfast and briefing before heading to the boat. We went in the cage for two dives of about 15 minutes each. We saw so many bronze whaler sharks. When we came back lunch was waiting for us and then we got back to Cape town. We couldn’t do the whale watching due to the strong wind in the afternoon, it got canceled. We got a refund. Totally worth it”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Shark Cage Diving with Snacks and Soft Drinks

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

Meet at 62 St George’s St for a four-hour False Bay boat trip with Shark Explorers. Guides including Jason, Ernesto, Stephen, and Nina explain shark behavior, fit your wetsuit, and help you enter the secure cage. Expect sandwiches, fruit, snacks, hot and cold drinks, and possible sightings of dolphins, seals, penguins, and whales.

“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.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Shark Cage Diving and Penguin Tour

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

Leave Cape Town early for Gansbaai, where you spend about three hours at sea and take turns in a shark cage. The crew supplies gear, breakfast, lunch, towels, and a certificate. On the return trip, visit African penguins at Stony Point, weather permitting, before heading back along the coast.

“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…”

Check availability →Read our full review