Shark Cage Diving in Cape Town

Standard dive tickets run between R2,350 and R3,250 per person depending on whether you drive yourself to Simon's Town or need transport from city hotels. Children joining as surface watchers pay around R1,650.

Book at least four or five days ahead during high season from December through February. Always schedule the boat trip toward the start of your holiday so you can reschedule if Atlantic storms cancel the charter.

Simon's Town lies just 45 minutes from downtown and operates around Seal Island, making it ideal if you dislike long van journeys. Gansbaai takes 2.5 hours each way along the Overberg coast, yet its sheltered channel offers more reliable launch conditions during heavy winter squalls.

Boat excursions spend about three to four hours on the water. If you take a shared shuttle from the city to Gansbaai, plan for an eight to ten hour day door-to-door.

No diving qualification is required because the cages float at the surface with the top lid open to the air. You simply pull yourself down on internal handrails using a standard snorkel mask and weight belt when the skipper calls a sighting.

False Bay and the open ocean off Kleinbaai produce relentless 2-meter swells. Take over-the-counter motion sickness tablets like Stugeron or dramamine the night prior and again two hours before departure, as crew cannot dispense medicine on the boat.

Guests with limited mobility can comfortably enjoy the boat ride and watch sharks circling from the stability of the main deck. Climbing down into the cage requires descending four steep ladder rungs while managing ocean swells, so crew will assess conditions on the day.