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White
Shark Ecoventures (established 1992) offers daily shark
diving/sighting tours (weather permitting) off Gansbaai, a
mere stone-throw away from the most southern tip of the
African Continent. Approx. 12km offshore from Gansbaai
(2hrs drive from Cape Town) we find two islands situated
next to each other. Due to a number of geographical reasons
- one being the shallow and narrow channel that runs between
these two islands - Dyer Island has become known as one of
only two unique areas in the world, where the chances to
view the great white shark, rises exceptionally high. A
colony of approximately 40000 Cape Fur Seals inhabit the
smaller Island (Geyser Rock. Other wildlife species such as
Cape Gannets, Cape Cormorants, African Penguins, whales and
dolphins are also likely to be sighted.
Once
anchored in the channel, we make use of a securely designed
6-man steel cage, which floats on the surface, with divers
no more than 1m below the surface. Experienced divers are
able to dive on scuba while inexperienced divers are able to
enjoy the same experience on snorkel. Snorkeling is
equally comfortable and safe. White sharks are indeed
surface feeders, providing brilliant surface viewing from
the safety of the shark-viewing deck of the boat. Our shark
handlers are trained to bring the sharks close-up against
the side of the boat, with the head and the jaws clearly
visible. We are in possession of a valid White Shark Cage
Diving Operators Permit (issued by government), enabling us
to work within the Dyer Island nature reserve area (copy of
permit available upon request). Only long-standing
operators who are in compliance with certain safety
regulations and code of conduct, are entitled to this
permit. All our facilities are closely inspected by
authorities on an annual basis, ensuring maximum safety for
all our guests.
We have
just acquired one of the largest, most modern and luxurious
boats available in the shark diving industry. Megalodon II
is a newly built stable catamaran, measuring 11 x 3.8 meters
and therefore offering the ultimate stability at sea.
Although she is licensed to carry a maximum of 30
passengers, we do not take more than 25 clients per tour.
This not only ensures maximum comfort, but also ensures
maximum cage diving time for all divers. Our boat offers
state-of-the-art facilities which includes; sophisticated
and securely structured 5-6-man steel cage, spacious cabin,
large upper shark-viewing deck, sunbathing area, private
lockable toilet, fresh water showers, private restroom with
bed, fresh drinking water, wet deck and separate dry-deck
for maximum comfort. She is fully licensed to SA safety
standards and is equipped with 2 radio's, radar equipment,
navigation equipment, depth finder, echo sounder, medical
first aid kit (including oxygen an fluid replacement),
current safety equipment, life vests for all passengers and
a 50-man life raft. Our boat, cage and life raft are
inspected on an annual basis, ensuring maximum safety for
all our passengers
We own
2 luxurious Mercedes Sprinter shuttle busses (15 and 21
seater), fully equipped with air-conditioning, PA system and
CD player. We have more than adequate
Insurance Cover
which includes; R20 million Public Liability, R20 million
Passenger Liability on each bus, R5 million Passenger
liability on our boat and Personal Accident Insurance on all
our bus drivers. We hold valid Road Carrier Permits on our
busses, and our drivers are all Public Drivers Permit
holders. Each crew member is highly qualified in his/her specific
field and together have more than 15 years experience
working with great white sharks. Crew qualifications
consist of; A1 (1) commercially licensed skippers, level 3
Medics; Satour Registered specialised tour guides; Dive
Masters and qualified shark handlers. All our crew have
done SAMSA compliant Fire-Fighters and Life-Raft Courses
and our skippers are licensed with ICASA (independent
Commission Authority of SA), as well as SAMSA (SA Maritime
and Safety Authority). A step-by-step emergency flow chart
is available inside the cabin of our vessel, at all times.
Capture
this once-in-a-lifetime personal experience on film and take
it home to show to your friends and family. We offer the
services of a professional underwater videographer who is
highly experienced in this field. Your personal experience
will be captured on a high quality video / DVD (above and
underwater) and a copy will be made available to you after
the tour at a minimal cost. We offer the following items on
sale; underwater disposable camera’s, T-Shirts, P-Caps,
Wine, Video’s, DVD’s etc. Please ask your tour guide on the
day of the tour.
Tour Includes:
1.
Luxurious return
transfers from Cape Town
(Air-conditioned, Mercedes Sprinter Bus);
2.
Freshly made packed
breakfast.
3. Hot tea and
coffee
upon our arrival in Gansbaai;
4. A
light lunch
is served upon our return;
5.
Complimentary
beer and
wine to accompany your lunch;
6. A
fast, yet safe
20 minute
boat ride to Dyer Island;
7.
Snacks, drinks and
sweets on-board the boat;
8.
Educational presentation
and safety briefing;
9.
Diving equipment and
wet-suits available at no
additional cost;
10.
Scuba diving in the cage
for experienced divers;
11.
Assisted
snorkeling in
cage for inexperienced divers;
12.
Spectacular
surface
viewing for non divers;
13.
View the
Cape Fur Seals
and African Penguins from the
boat (subject to good weather conditions);
14.
Complimentary
Shark
Project Workbook, sponsored by Dr. Erich Ritter,
(while stocks last).
15.
Logbook stamp
after the tour;
16.
Enjoy land-based
whale
watching in Hermanus (July –
Dec);
17.
Drop-off at
Cape Town
International Airport at no
additional cost.
18.
En-route tour
of the indigenous fynbos in the Overberg area, the export
apple orchards of
Elgin and the informal settlements in Cape Town.
19.
DVD’s, video’s, underwater camera’s, T-shirts, P-caps and
various other
gifts on
sale;
20.
Purchase
a high quality copy of your own personal shark diving
experience, after the tour. This is
Available
on video or DVD.
Approximate
Itinery:
- Door-to-door
collection from the Cape Town metropolitan area.
- Arrival in
Gansbaai, where you will enjoy a packed breakfast and hot
coffee / tea, while the safety briefing and other
formalities takes place.
- The
boat launches from Kleinbaai Harbour. 20 min later, anchor
in or nearby “Shark Alley”.
-
Return to Kleinbaai harbour.
- A
light lunch is enjoyed while viewing the video of the day. A
copy of your own personal experience is available after the
tour.
Best Season
Our
tours run each and every day of the year, as Dyer Island is
a good place to see the sharks all year round. The absolute
best season is probably in our winter months, when sharks
are particularly active in their feeding pattern. The
following guide-line is based on tours we have done over the
past 8 years and months may overlap slightly.
Peak Season:
April to October (99% success rate) Highly Reccommended
High Season:
November to December (90 – 99% success rate)
Intermediate Season:
January to March: (80 – 90% success rate)
Water
temperatures vary between 16 and 20 degrees celsius during
our high season, and between 10 and 16 degrees celsius
during our intermediate and low seasons.
What
to Bring
Towel,
warm weather proof clothing, sunscreen and hat, camera and
binoculars, sea-sick tablets and dive card.
Terms and Conditions
Thorough weather checks are done prior to any trip. Should
inclement weather prevent us from proceeding with the trip
on any particular day, the clients would be informed and an
alternative date would be negotiated or an entire refund
would be given. Should the clients and White Shark
Ecoventures’ team find themselves in Gansbaai already
(based upon a good weather prediction) and sudden strong
winds pick up, preventing the boat from being put to sea and
to ensure the safety of our passengers, 10% of the price
will be retained for meals, stand-by and preparation costs.
i.e. an 90% refund would be given. However, a 10% discount
would be offered on the day the trip is actually taken
(valid for a 2 year period). Should strong winds pick up
whilst out at sea and return to shore is required for the
safety of passengers and crew, a refund will not be
applicable. We are
dealing with wild animals and sightings are therefore not
guaranteed. Refunds will therefore not be considered in the
event of non-sightings, however, a second tour will be
offered at a discounted rate. Due to variable weather
conditions and shark activity, diving may not always be
possible and is therefore not guaranteed. The boat tour we
offer consists of approx. 4 hours at sea. Should it be
required, White Shark Ecoventures reserves the right to run
more than one tour per day, of approx. 4 hours at sea. Time
related itinerary’s and collection times are dependent on
tides, weather conditions and the amount of tours we have
scheduled on that particular day. Exact collection times
are therefore only available after 16h00 the day prior to
the tour, and may vary between 4.30 and 11.30 am daily.
Should our vessel be out of the water for a certain period
(due to maintenance or any other reason), we will continue
to run our tours by chartering another vessel (also
adequately registered for shark cage diving). |