Travel Junkie Julia » How to swim with great white sharks… (and live)

How to swim with great white sharks… (and live)

Posted by Julia on Feb 5, 2010 in Thrills, Tours

A cage diving tourist snaps a photo of a great white shark

The terrible story of the kiteboarder, Stephen Schafer, who was tragically killed by a shark on Wednesday off the north coast of Florida, does nothing in the way of calming my fish fears. It makes me never want to get in the water again.

I swear, I hear the Jaws “da na da na da na” theme song in all bodies of water, from oceans to bath tubs. That’s why it was particularly out of character for me to sign up for a great white shark cage-diving adventure off the coast of South Africa… and so can you.

This day activity (also offered in parts of California) allows swimmers to snorkel with sharks from the safety of a metal cage. A boat trip takes you out to the middle of the ocean, dragging a trail of chum (a delicious stew of fish guts and blood) behind it. The great whites catch the scent and are lured towards the curious swimmers bobbing inside a protective contraption.

Crazy? Yes, but if you’re looking for a deeper understanding of these deep-sea creatures, it’s an awe-inspiring way to spend an afternoon.

This would have been my ultimate of challenges had I not been violently seasick, choosing to vomit over the side of the boat repeatedly, rather than dip into the water with these mysterious and misunderstood creatures. Psychosomatic? perhaps.

The practice of cage diving is a controversial one. Some say spreading chum creates a dangerous Pavlovian association between humans and food. Some companies even go so far as to touch the sharks (a huge no-no in the conservation scene), prompting them to open their toothy jaws for snap-happy tourists.

The company I went with did little to dispel the myths surrounding these predators. They played-up the “manhunter” and “world’s most fearsome creature” stereotypes rather than focusing on the facts about this now endangered species.

Watch the indie-documentary Sharkwater and you’ll see that, typically, sharks have more to fear from us, than we do from them.

Attacks, like the one that took the life of renown water-sports enthusiast Schafer, are said to be uncommon.

With that in mind, if cage diving with great whites is still something you’d like to experience, check out one of the many companies that offer underwater tours (don’t forget to bring motion sickness pills):

Be sure to ask about the operator’s wildlife policies, their commitment to shark education and don’t watch Jaws before you go.

Would you dare to go diving with great whites? Leave me a comment below!

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Anil

It's one of my travel goals since plane crashes and sharks are my two biggest fears. An ironic combination for a traveler I suppose and could end up coming together in some twisted tragedy. Cage diving would be a good way to face one of my fears :)

juliadimon

Imagine crashing into shark infested waters :) double whammy :) twisted tragedy is right....

frankcoles

Hi Julia, great post, great blog. I just came across your writing the other day and I'm loving it. On the theme of sharks I went cage diving with a company called White Shark Projects in SA recently and loved it. You can find a video on it here at Nat Geo Adventure: http://natgeoadventure.tv/uk/Post.aspx?Id=23223

You are so right about those motion sickness pills! Happy travels.

juliadimon

Thanks for your message Frank!!

Pete J

Great read!

Having the opportunity to get so close to these beautiful creatures is simply amazing! It's definitely important that the sharks are protected, and having them act as closely to natural in their surroundings seems more important than getting a great photo.

Since I am afraid of heights, shark diving would be a great alternative to sky diving for a true thrill!

juliadimon

You're afraid of heights? yikes...I don't blame you. I did this gorge swing in Zambia and vowed never to leave the ground again :)

Maje Palarca

This would be sooooo great. Sharks are just fascinating but scary creatures. However, I bet I'll always be thinking that I might end up as their chum at the end of the day.

juliadimon

They are scary...lots of hype too. Have you seen SharkWater? a great film to check out.

Backpacker44

Haha, I can swim in the ocean no problem, but put me in the deep end of a swimming pool and I get all freaked out lol! I have no idea why that is, but It's been that way since I was a small child- just learning how to swim.

I would love to swim with sharks. Possibly not Great Whites.. But some kind of shark for sure!

juliadimon

I think it that movie Jaws...ruined it for everyone :)

Dave

Yes, I had a great time of it in South Africa, where I learned Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio had done so as well. Yes, I just name dropped. :)

juliadimon

You did the cage diving thing with Brad and Leo? nice one:) how did you find it?

Dave

There are a bunch of companies that operate out of Gansbaai, and they advertise at all the hostels and tour shops in Cape Town and Hermanus (which is great for whale watching).

I used Shark Diving Unlimited: http://www.sharkdivingunlimited.com/