Shark Cage Diving and Viewing from Hermanus

This was such a great experience. And could experience it with my son. The staff and team was so amazing and professional. We enjoyed the breakfast and light snacks as well. But the shark cage diving experience was 5 stars.

Thank you Aletta and team for a wonderful experience. Communication was fantastic from start to finish. I felt very safe on the boat and really enjoyed the enthusiasm of the crew. They have such a great passion for conservation. Lunch after the trip was delicious. For anyone considering this trip, you will not be disappointed.

A well controlled and safe way of getting up close to Sharks. The tour is expertly delivered. A bit of a tourist trip on a boat that can hold up to 40 people. It feels like a conveyor belt at times of how they move you through their process. Swell can be a problem if you suffer from motion sickness. Dont expect to see Great Whites as it is not that common however you will see lots of others. We even saw a whale en route to the dive site. The biggest issue I had was the chum that was constantly thrown over my head to attract the sharks, it will drip on you and it stinks awful. You then come out of the water smelling of it too! The tour guide Suzi was really good and they had plenty of staff on hand to help. The video guide was hugely enthusiastic, if not over the top! Not everyone wants him trying to rev you up if your not feeling great!! Not cheap, but worth doing it if you have always thought about it. It is very safely managed and teh cage is always firmly fixed to the boat and you dont even have to out your head underwater!

This was an incredible bucket-list trip for me. From the moment we were arrived we were treated to such a high-quality of service from the knowledge and passion of the staff, help from the team at every stage (getting in and out of those wet suits was a mission!), breakfast before we left for the boat, soup and roll afterwards. We had a full boat of 30+ people but we didn't feel rushed, had plenty of time in the water, and were looked after brilliantly. The company are passionate about research and creating an eco-friendly service. That was incredibly important to me. On our trip the skilled team even managed to detangle fishing line from one of the sharks. I would choose this company again and again.

Having looked forward to this "bucket list" experience for a long time, I was extremely disappointed for a number of reasons; 1. Shark Cage Diving was founded on the huge Great White Sharks hunting seals in the area, but it turns out that they are no longer present, having been killed and/or frightened off by Orcas. On arrival, during an interesting presentation, the Marine Biologist explained that this had been the case since 2017 !!! The Bronze Whaler Sharks that are now the "stars of the show" are simply not a comparative replacement, while the price of the trip remains extremely high. I understand that nature has caused the change, but all the operators in the area still give the impression that seeing Great Whites is likely/possible, whereas in reality they are long gone. They have had ample time to amend their websites and explain the situation, rather than waiting until clients have travelled thousands of miles and spent an awful lot of money based on completely false hope. Personally, if I had known in advance then I would have gone elsewhere in the world to tick this off my list. 2. We went in peak season so the boat was rammed with 33 paying customers, split into 4 groups each taking it in turn to enter the cage. Visibility was good at first, but by the time it was our turn to enter the cage (the last group) it was virtually impossible to see anything due to the amount of chum oil and bait debris in the water. It turns out that the Bronze Whalers require a particularly large amount of chum to attract them. 3. The first three groups consisted of 8 people, which seems to be the norm as the seats on board were also set out in 8's. Our group had the "extra" person who finished up trying to share my little space rather everyone having a bit less room. When I eventually realised what was happening and pointed out the problem, everyone else was asked to shuffle along a little bit, but by that time I had lost the plot. Marine Dynamics say the cage can take up to 10 people which might be ok if everyone was equally spaced, but I really wouldn't fancy it. 4. The cage is long and faces outwards from the side of the boat. At either end of the cage a bait handler stands on deck, throws a bait line into the water, and pulls it back towards himself as the shark follows it. This naturally entices the shark to follow the bait toward the cage, but only toward either end. So if you are in the middle of the cage, the best view you are likely to get is of a tail going away from you. Yes, you guessed, we were in the middle! So in summary, if you want to see Great Whites do not go to Gansbaai (or False Bay). If you are ok just seeing Bronze Whalers then make sure you are in the first group into the cage, and secure a place at either end of it by getting in first or last. To be fair to Ocean Dynamics, when I complained back at base (called The Great White House!!) they did buy me and my mate a bottle of beer to say sorry. Subsequently, when I emailed them with my concerns they offered a free alternative Big 5 trip which I will take them up on next time I fly 8,000 miles to see some big fish.

We went shark cage diving on the 6th of January 2025 - book & paid for a great white shark dive- now as much as what no one can control the ocean or sharks - I find it very disappointing that they last saw a great white in October - I strongly suggest that you inform your guests that there's a shortage of great white sharks due to the orcas - and you could definitely revise your prices. We were under the impression the entire time that we would have a very big chance of seeing a great white shark- or at least tell us before paying. It was a nice experience but sadly also disappointing.

Everyone was very nice but we didn't see white sharks and that was our main objective. So if you are looking to see white sharks it's not the tour for it! If that's not your main idea it's a very cool tour in which you will see other sea animals !

I had hoped to hear more about the life of the sharks and other marine life in the area. To much screaming and "Shakira" moments from the staff. But the hotel pick-up and other logistics including changing to and from wet suits and in and out of the cage worked well. And probably most important, the staff semed to take good care of participants getting seasick or nervous.

Everything about Marine Dynamics is just so professional, well organised and an absolute pleasure. From our arrival to departure it was faultless with extraordinary service, extremely knowledgeable staff and just overall memorable.

A bucket list, once in a lifetime experience. The Marine Dynamics team and crew are absolute professionals - slick, organised, informative, engaging, fun, safety first. A really good deal considering food, drinks, snacks, wet suits, towels, photographer etc are included. The team also do fantastic marine research and environmental work so your fees are going to great people and a great cause. My family and I loved every minute of it, we never felt afraid and learned a lot about the incredible Bronze Whaler Sharks we saw.