Carcharias Carcharodon or the Great White Shark is one of the sleekest, fastest and most efficient predators on the planet. It lurks beneath the cold, watery realms of the oceans silently waiting to explode upon a hapless prey in a devastating display of horrifying power. For eons us humans have been mesmerized by the great white Shark's mysterious and uncanny ability to master an alien world we know practically nothing about. But more than that, the shark represents our deepest, most primeval of fears - the fear of the dreadful unknown coupled with the fear of being eaten alive. These fears were highlighted by the Peter Benchly's novel JAWS over 30 years ago, but it was the subsequent unleashing of Steven Spielberg's adaption of that novel which graphically revealed our collective nightmare. Since then 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 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. As John E. McCosker, a leading authorithy on the subject declares: "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?"

Paradoxically, it is fear that creates our collective fantastical desire to see the Great White Shark and nowhere is better to view them than around the waters of Cape Town on the south west coast of South Africa. Cape Town has a unique and healthy marine ecosystem caused by a unique mixture of warm and cold currents can sustain large shoals of fish, which in turn attracts colony's of seals and other marine mammals. At the apex in these seas of life is the Great White Shark and the ability to cage dive with them is unarguably the best in the world. Australia and California also have cage diving but they come a distant 2nd and third place to Cape Town. In fact, cage diving operators in Gansbaai, a fishing village near Cape Town are claiming "Guaranteed Sightings" all year round and rarely are they are proved wrong. The result is that cage diving with Great Whites has developed into an industry worth millions. Every year thousands of adrenaline-seekers pay top dollar for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is great for the Cape Town tourist market and a case study of eco-tourism at its best. Industry, employment and community development in some areas of the Cape have been bolstered exclusively by cage diving. This is able produce a sustainable income generator that supports the welfare of humans and the ecology alike.

One can cage dive with Great White Sharks in two distinct locations near Cape Town: -

1. Seal Island
in the middle of False Bay. The launch is from Simon's Town about 40mins from the heart of Cape Town. This location is the more spectacular of the two as the Great White sharks literally leap clean out of the water in pursuit of their prey. The trip is highly seasonal though with the best months being August September and October. This also coincides with the arrival of the whales in the Cape Town bay - so there is action galore!

Price per person is R1500.

2. Dyer Island and Shark Alley
in Gansbaai is about a two hour drive from Cape Town. This location offers "guaranteed" sightings of Great White Sharks all year round. The sharks here are inquisitive and numerous as are the tourists flocking to the quant fishing village to catch a glimpse of the great shark.

Price is R1300/person.

The bottom line if you are visiting Cape Town a cage dive with Great White Sharks is a must on any to-do list.