Diving with Sharks in South Africa

Shark Diving South Africa -- Sardine Run South Africa

Tiger Shark Diving ©

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Diving with Sharks

We are a specialist shark diving operator with many years experience in diving with sharks.

During 'SharkWeek' South Africa we will introduce you to the different species of shark offering you the chance to with many of these fantasic animals.

Before each dive, we will give a full briefing to help you to understand the behaviour of the sharks. This information will help you have a safe and knowledgeable dive with the sharks.

Observe the sharks, learn how to identify the different species, understand the sharks behaviour and find out how sharks interpret your behaviour in return.

Below is some information on diving with sharks.

Diving with Ragged Tooth Sharks

Ragged Tooth Sharks are generally around between April and November although over the past 3-years they have been on the Aliwal Shoal all year.

During our winter months, hundreds of Ragged Tooth Sharks can be found all over the Aliwal Shoal. Fierce in appearence due to the long, sharp teeth, the sharks are non-aggresive and offer some great opportunities to get up close and personal with them.

About Ragged Tooth Sharks

Ragged Tooth Sharks [known locally as Raggies] can grow up to about 3.5-meters, the average size is about 2-meters. Their diet consists mainly of large and small bony fish, small sharks, rays, squid and crustaceans. Their teeth are large and arranged in three rows on each side of the upper jaw midline. The teeth themselves have long smooth, narrow-edged cusps with one or two small lateral denticles.

They have a stout body with two large dorsal fins that are almost equal in size and the first dorsal fin is far back on the body. The tail has an elongated upper lobe and no caudal keel. This shark appears bronze with a pale belly. Juveniles have spots on the tail and rear end of the body that fade with age. The gill slits are anterior to the origin of the pectoral fins.

The sharks congregate on the reefs between the Aliwal Shoal in large numbers from April and November. The sharks spend most of the year in the colder waters off the Eastern Cape before moving to our coastline as part of their annual migration, where they mate from April and November. After the mating, the males return south to the Eastern Cape and the pregnant females then move north for gestation between October and March.

Gestation takes about 9 to 12 months and they generally give birth to 2 pups about 100cm long. They have spotted markings that grow together to form stripes which fade with maturity. This shark is able to achieve neutral buoyancy gulping air at the surface and storing it in its stomach. While menacing in appearance, this shark is generally considered to be harmless.

Diving with Blacktip Sharks

We dive with Blacktip Sharks all year. The dives take place on the reefs south of the Aliwal Shoal. We generally drop on a reef and use various [baitless] methods to attract the Blacktips. Once the sharks turn-up we leave the bottom and drift in mid-water with the sharks, giving you a chance to enjoy the Blacktip Sharks, observe their behaviour and understand how the sharks interpret your behaviour in return.

Diving with Tiger Sharks

Our Tiger Shark dive will rate as one of the top-5 dives you will ever do. The dive takes place on the southern end of the Aliwal Shoal. We create an odour corridor to attract the sharks. Once the sharks arrive we enter the water to observe the sharks in their natural enviroment.

Over many years of diving with Tiger Sharks at the Aliwal Shoal, we have experienced many behaviour patterns and this knowledge enables us to experience up close encounters with these fantasic creatures. We generally have between two and six [but can be as many as nine or more] Tiger Sharks as well as many Blacktip Sharks, Dusky Sharks and on occasion other species of sharks.

Before the Tiger Shark Dive, we will give a full briefing to help you to understand their behaviour and how we behave in return. Tiger Sharks are very shy, they are also very inquisitive and intelligent animals which is why they are one of the ocean's apex predators and deserve the highest respect.

The Tiger Shark Diving is a truly amazing experience.....

About Tiger Sharks

Tiger Sharks grow up to about 6-meters, the average size is about 3-meters. They eat fish, turtles, crabs, mammals, sea birds, other sharks, and just about anything else. Their teeth are serrated, razor-sharp, and curved and are the same in upper and lower jaws. They have a special gill slit [a spiracle] behind the eyes that provides oxygen flow directly to the eyes and brain. They have very good sense of smell & eyesight. Their depth range is from the surface to about 300-meters, they swim at about 3.5-kph.

Gestation takes about 9 months and they are born live in litters of between 10 & 82 pups. At birth they are 51cm to 76cm have spotted markings that grow together to form stripes which fade with maturity. The life span of the tiger shark is unknown.

Diving with Bull Sharks [known locally as Zambezi Sharks]

Diving with the Bull Sharks takes place mainly on the reefs south of the Aliwal Shoal. The shark are also often seen during our Tiger Shark dive and when we dive the wrecks at Aliwal Shoal.

About Bull Sharks

The Bull Shark is known locally as a Zambezi Shark, the shark has a short shovel shape snout. The belly is off-white, its top surface is gray, and the eyes are small. The first dorsal fin is much longer and more pointed than the second dorsal fin. The teeth of a Bull [Zambezi] Shark are triangular, serrated, and very sharp. Adult Male Bull [Zambezi] Sharks average about 2.1-meters & weigh about 90kg Adult Females Bull [Zambezi] Sharks average about 3.5-meters & weigh about 230kg.

Their diet consists of sharks, fish, rays, turtles, birds, crustaceans & dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Gestation takes about 12 months and they generally give birth to 1 to 13 pups about 70cm long. A pup's fins have black tips, but these marking fade in the adults. Very young bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers.

Bull [Zambezi] Sharks are found close to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, rivers and lakes. The life span of the Bull [Zambezi] Shark is unknown.

Diving with Hammerhead Sharks

Our dives with the Hammerhead Sharks take place on the reefs on the outside edges of the Aliwal Shoal. The dives are mid-water drifts and while we do have sightings of Hammerheads during most the year, our best time is during our summer months.

Diving with Dusky Sharks

Dusky Sharks are around during our winter months, generally May to October. The sharks are great to dive with and they behave very similar to the Blacktip Sharks. We use various techniques to attract the Dusky Sharks and they are also often seen during the Tiger Shark dive.

Diving with Giant Guitar Sharks

The Guitar Sharks are found on the sandy patches on the north and south of the Aliwal Shoal and mainly during our summer months. The are generally very calm and you can get up close and personal and this allows for some great viewing and photos.