-Shark cage diving in Cape Town, it’s just a scary swim really-

Shark cage diving in Cape Town is a bit like running at and getting tackled by Pier Spies, you’re not entirely sure why you would want to do it but you’d sure as hell enjoy telling your friends about it. The answer is simple, adrenaline. It’s the chemical your body excretes into your blood when faced with a scary situation and for many people, possibly you, it can be associated with a pleasurable sensation. The release of adrenaline into the body is known as an adrenaline rush and many people spend their leisure time chasing this rush by taking part in activities that put the subject in a controlled amount of danger. Activities like this include bungy jumping, sky diving, shark cage diving and big wave surfing, these activities have become so popular that there are companies that specialise in adventure tours, Cape Town is a mecca for people seeking the adrenalin rush with its miles of coast line and numerous mountains.

Shark cage diving in Cape Town is an activity which has recently been marred by controversy due to the increase in shark attacks off the coast of Cape Town, particularly in the False Bay waters where the shark cage diving companies operate. Many blamed the practice of chumming, to attract the sharks, for the increased shark presence off the False Bay coast. The fact is, however, that no real record of shark numbers were kept in the past so it’s nearly impossible to tell by how much the numbers may have increased. In fact the only the numbers which seemed to have increased over the last couple of decades is the number of bathers in the sea, meaning an increase in shark attacks is a logical conclusion. There is no scientific proof that the increase in shark attacks is linked to shark cage diving.

The Great White Shark is an extremely intelligent and misunderstood predator about which very little is known. It is to this end that shark cage diving in Cape Town is as important for ecology as watching lions in one of South Africa’s many game reserves. The adventure tours of Cape Town that allow tourists to see this magnificent creature in its natural habitat are doing the White Sharks and future generations a favour.

The adventure tour operators that run the shark cage diving in Cape Town have, perhaps, the best understanding of these creatures as being aware of the movements and habits of the Great White Shark is what their business relies on. The White Shark is an incredibly intelligent and savage hunter, using ambush techniques to hunt seals returning from fishing expeditions just of the islands on which they live. Cape Town shark cage diving operators are aware of this and take their adventure tours into what is known as the shark alley right near Geyser Island which houses a massive seal colony. It is here that the Great White Sharks have been documented breaching the water in an effort to catch their prey as they swim up from the depths at great speed.

Shark cage diving in Cape Town is not only an adrenaline rush, it’s an opportunity to witness a misunderstood and nearly endangered predator about which very little is known, in its natural habitat. It’ll give you a story to share with your grandchildren and hopefully create an awareness so that they might be able experience it themselves.