Day 1:
Morning arrival at Cape Town International Airport - met by your dedicated SA Scuba guide who will take you on a tour of Cape Town. Evening at leisure in a four star hotel in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Optional evening activities are available.

Day 2:
An early breakfast followed by a scenic drive to Gaansbaai for a thrilling day of Great White diving. Evening at leisure in Gansbaai.

Day 3:
A wholesome breakfast precedes a day at sea cage diving with the Great Whites. Late afternoon transfer to Cape Town and overnight in a 4 star hotel in Cape Town. Optional evening activities are available.

Day 4:
Day at leisure - optional excursions include Cape Town's world famous wine farms, a tour to Cape Point - Africa's southernmost point or visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. Late afternoon transfer to Cape Town International Airport, fly to Durban International. Transfer to Kwazulu-Natal South Coast.

Day 5 and 6:
With the cage diving behind us we set out into the open sea to enjoy two days diving at Protea Banks. SA divers acclaim Protea as the best shark dive in the country. Be on the look out for sharks - the Zambezi, Tiger, Hammerhead, Black Tip and even the odd Great White is spotted here. Afternoon transfer to Umkomaas.

Day 7 and 8:
Dive the world acclaimed Aliwal Shoal at Umkomaas. Optional afternoon activities will be adventure sport in Oribi Gorge, including abseiling, rafting, mountain biking. Afternoon transfer to Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

Day 9 and 10:
Safari at Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Africa's oldest game reserve and home to the Big 5. Optional activities include game drives, guided walk through the African bush or a bird spotting cruise down the Black Umfulozi River. Late afternoon transfer to Sodwana Bay.

Day 11 and 12:
Dive Sodwana Bay, South Africa's best-known dive site.

Day 13:
Leisurely transfer down the coast to Durban International Airport with optional stops including curio shopping, visiting a traditional Zulu village etc. Evening departure.

Day 14:
Arrive back home.

Accommodation 

In Cape Town, we make use of conveniently situated 4 star hotels. The remainder of the safari takes place outside of major towns and accommodation is in lodges and / or guesthouses. This accommodation, although not in high-rise, commercialised developments, is to the same standard of comfort and cleanliness.


Dive Sites

Gans Baai
The great white diving takes place in cages and depths seldom exceed a couple of meters. The water temperature can be anywhere between 12 C and 16 C. Visibility is usually 6 - 8 metres, but it can go up to 12 - 15 metres on a good day and down to 2-3 metres on a bad day. Wetsuit thickness should ideally be at least 5 mm and chicken vests, hoods, gloves and booties are recommended. Serious photographers and filmmakers usually bring their own dry suits.
The sharks do not try and attack the cages or try to bite the divers inside the cage. They do sometimes bite the cages in an exploratory manner, and sometimes also have a good look at the divers inside the cage. It is not in the nature of the shark to attack the cage or the diver inside.
Our operators strive toward zero impact diving, to enjoy the magnificent sharks, yet to be environmentally responsible.
Protea Banks
Rated by local divers as the best shark dive site in the country and recognized as one of the top shark dive sites in the world, Protea Banks is a "must dive" on any dive trip to South Africa. The launch is from Shelly Beach on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal, one and a half hours drive south of Durban, with Protea Banks itself situated 8 km offshore, its depth ranging between 25m and 40m with viz ranging from 7m to 40m. There is often a strong current of 4 or 5 knots and distances of 3 kms can be "drifted" on one dive. Protea is thus for the experienced and confident diver and a minimum of 50 logged dives, or an advanced qualification are pre-requisites.
Numerous shark species may be encountered on the shoal, with Zambezi (Bull) and Hammerhead being frequent sightings, and Tigers, Bronze whalers (coppers), Threshers and the occasional Great White being other species which are encountered, albeit less frequently. Our focus in winter months is in finding the Ragged Tooth Shark (Sand Tiger), which congregates here at that time in great numbers. During the rest of the year our focus diverts mainly to the Zambezi (Bull) shark and hammerhead shark.
Aliwal Shoal
South Africa's second most popular dibe site, Aliwal Shoal is a must on your diving schedule in South Africa. The launch is in rubber ducks from Umkomaas, a 35 minutes drive South of Durban. The reef is 5km offshore from Umkomaas, and ranges from 5m to 30m and deeper.
There is an abundance of sea-life to be found, such as dolphins, manta rays, and even hump-backed whales. Many species of fish are seen and most excitingly, Aliwal Shoal is home to the Ragged Tooth shark during their winter migration, from June to October, affording many thrilling dives. Although they look terrifying, they are harmless to man, and no recorded attacks by sharks have been made on scuba divers.
The best visibility is usually between May to September although Aliwal Shoal can be dived throughout the year. Some of the more popular dives include:
The Nebo: A ship wreck in 22 - 30 metres of water. Encrusted by soft corals and sponges, the wreck offers refuge to various marine species.
Cathedral: A spectacular church-like amphitheatre in the reef, which offers spectacular dives. Stingrays, ragged tooth sharks and moray eels may often be found in this site. Depth of 9 - 28m.
The Produce: A tanker wreck in 30m of water. Big game fish and small tropical fish may be found. Although we recommend divers do not enter the wreck, there are large moray eels known to inhabit the wreck.
Raggie Cave: A cave where groups of ragged tooth sharks may be found during winter months. Depth averaging at 15m.
Pinnacles: Caves, gullies and overhangs make this an exciting dive, where shoals of fish can be found. Depth averaging 10-15m.
Sodwana Bay
World renowned for its sport fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling, Sodwana is situated on the coast within the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. The reserve lies adjacent to Africa's southern-most coral reefs. The Maputaland and St Lucia Marine Reserves are linked to each other to form a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border southwards to Cape Vidal and 3 nautical miles out to sea.
Sodwana Bay, with its many exciting coral reefs and outstanding climate, has distinguished itself as one of the premier sport diving destinations in the world.
This wonderful resort, set in a sheltered bay on the Maputaland coast, attracts many visitors all year round to discover its many hidden treasures.
The dive sites are named after their distance from the launch site, in miles up the beach. They are:
2 Mile
The most popular of Sodwana's dive sites, 2 Mile is a large reef, measuring just short of 2 km long, and approximately 900m wide. Depths vary between 9m (Pinnacles) and 38+m (Deep Sponge). There are many dive sites scattered within the main body of 2 Mile, and they average out at about 14m-16m. Due to its size, 2 Mile has something for everyone, from massive beds of diverse corals, rocky overhangs & caves, to a massive amount of fishes and weird & wonderful invertebrates.
5 Mile
A deeper reef, this site is recommended for advanced divers. This reef has an astounding coral diversity, and is home to many of the smaller, shyer fish that like to live within the corals. Your average depth will be approximately 21 m, and a max of about 24m. The most popular spot on the reef is 'The Pothole' which offers the chance of the rare starry moray, a red anemone and other amazing life.
7 Mile
A favourite among advanced divers, 7 Mile is also a deeper reef, which boasts a pseudo wall dive experience. The top of the reef lies in approximately 15m with a distinct drop-off down to 24m on the sand. This inside edge is relatively sheltered from the open ocean and so supports a huge diversity of fish and invertebrate life. Definitely a must.
9 Mile
9 Mile doesn't get dived very often, and so is relatively untouched by divers. The big draw card on 9 Mile is the Green Coral Tree, a large outcrop of Green Tree Coral, which supports much fish life. The maximum depth on 9 Mile is 23m.