The Great White Shark

In their definitive book The Great White Shark, the acknowledged authorities of Great Whites, John E. McCosker and Richard Ellis, summed up how we perceive the Great White Shark:

"...in discussions of the Great White Shark, the language of the superlative predominates. It is the supreme hunter-killer; the largest game fish in the world; the most awesome and dangerous of sharks...A Thesaurus of the pejorative would be required to list its real or perceived characteristics: savage, dangerous, fearsome, fearless, mean, vicious, insatiable, ravenous, pitiless, sinister, dreadful, hateful, horrible, frightening, formidable, terrible, terrifying, menacing, malevolent, ominous, monstrous. But this list does not add up to the Great White Shark, and does not do it justice. It is both more or less the sum of its adjectives, more or less than its reputation and a great deal more than the little we know about it...The Great White Shark arrives with its reputation fully developed, yet the truth remains elusive. Which of the stories are true and which are fantasy fed by fear?"

It is precisely this fear fed by the terrifying feeling of the unknown that has dictated our behavior toward the Great White Shark. Thirty years ago Peter Benchley's novel JAWS was visually unleashed upon the world by Steven Spielberg's rendition of a creature that's sole purpose in the world was out to get us every time we ventured near the ocean. The reputation of the Great White has been cemented by that film and even today after 30 years the Great White Shark conjures up that same primordial feeling we call fear.

The point is, is that the feeling is one of pure instinct and most certainly not one of logic or knowledge:
-The fact that you have a far greater chance of being killed by your toaster than a Great White Shark defies all logic. How many headlines read; "Man Gets Brutally Fried to Death in Kitchen by Vicious Toaster"?!?
-The fact that the Great White Shark is completely misunderstood explains the irrational side of us humans. These are our ancient survival instincts kicking in - flight or fight. Sometimes we flight, most times we fight - to the point where our vengeful destruction of a beast that, at best conjures up nothing more than an unpleasant inner sensation, has been catastrophic. Great White Sharks are now on the endangered list and the planet's oldest living form will be annihilated unless we check our carnal sensations.

Thankfully, some of us have had the rare opportunity to encounter a Great White Shark, and immediately one senses that they are NOT the mindless eating machines of the public mind but rather complex, sensitive and vulnerable creatures eking out an existence in a harsh unforgiving world. And like all the world's inhabitants (bar us) Great White Sharks perform a vital and valuable role in maintaining the delicate ecology. Slowly through observation and passive interaction we are learning more about the Great White Shark and slowly we at Cruise Sub Aqua are altering the perception of the public through education in the form of film and television documentaries and allowing people to get in the water for a rare but life-changing experience with the Great White Shark.
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Cage Diving with Sharks

Cage Diving with the Great White Shark is possibly one of the most exhilarating experiences on the planet! It also proves that these awesome animals are not the hungry monsters we have come to know.

Cage Diving takes place from the small fishing town of Gansbaai about two hours drive from Cape Town. There after a short briefing you are taken by boat to Dyer Island home of 60 000 Cape fur seals. it is alongside this island in a channel known simply as Shark Alley that has one of the world's highest concentrations of Great White Sharks.

Price of overnight Great White Shark excursion is R2000/person (*recommended*).

This includes:
- Cage Dive with Great White Sharks
- Transport to and From Cape Town
- Overnight stay in the beautiful On The Cliffs Guest House in Hermanus
- Breakfast and lunch

Price of Day tour Great White Shark excursion is R1650/person.

This includes:
- Cage dive with Great White Sharks
- transport to and from Cape Town

>> BOOK NOW!
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Filming Sharks

Cruise Sub Aqua has been involved in underwater films and documentaries for sometime. We have been involved with various wildlife documentaries, TV shows and films for channels like BBC, ITV, National Geographic, Discovery, Globo TV to name a few.

The filming of Great White Sharks is no exception. We possess and have access to all the latest specialized equipment in making spectacular documentaries. here is a list:
- Full face masks with coms
- Lexan "crystal cage" for the definitive shot without cage bars
- underwater video housings
- pole camera

as well as the usual diving paraphernalia to ensure THE shot.

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Flying Sharks

Cruise Sub Aqua has been involved in underwater films and documentaries for sometime. We have been involved with various wildlife documentaries, TV shows and films for channels like BBC, ITV, National Geographic, Discovery, Globo TV to name a few.

During our winter months (May-August) an astonishing natural phenomenon occurs in the warm waters of False Bay near Cape Town. Right in the centre of the bay 10kms out to see is a rocky outcrop that is home to tens of thousands of Cape Fur Seals. During the winter period the dozens of young pups who were born in the spring are now old enough to to swim and search for food. Like the great crocodiles of the Serengeti when they anticipate the massive wildebeest migration so the Great White Sharks congregate in large numbers just off the deep shelf of the rocky outcrop and wait...

Without the need to chum the water one simply has to anchor off Seal island usually at dawn and watch a spectacle as the massive one ton sharks literally fly out of the water in a lightening pursuit of the desperate but speedy young seals...
This is with out doubt one of the most amazing sights in the world!

Price is R550/person (boat ride and drinks on board)


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