On the Water
4–5 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
£151
per adult
African Shark Eco-Charters
African Shark Eco-Charters
African Shark Eco-Charters
4.5
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Come and experience Shark Cage Diving the way it was intended! African Shark Eco-Charters offers eco-friendly, educational and entertaining shark cage diving from Simons Town; just a short 45 minutes drive from Cape Town. We are a certified and licenced permit holder and are the only operator to offer scuba; snorkel or breath-hold also available. Come and experience the BEST Shark Cage Diving right, the first time! A truly amazing experience that will leave you in awe and respect for sharks
Simon's Town, South Africa
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4.5
332 reviews
Excellent
272
Very good
36
Average
6
Poor
6
Terrible
12
e k
2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Absolutely shocking experience was taken out to sit on a boat for 3 hours and saw nothing wasted a day of our precious holiday only to be told we don’t refund any money you can have a voucher to do it again when we fly back home the following day 🤷♀️
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Никита Я
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Great experience. Not only did we see sharks but also a seal. Snacks and drinks are included, which is a nice bonus.
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin M
9 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Great and unique experience. Super well organized and efficient, helpful team. I felt safe and well supported throughout. Worth noting that due to changes in migration patterns it’s much harder these days to see great whites but we had a group of massive whaler sharks which made for an amazing experience!
Written 14 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
82sethw
3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! I’m giving African Shark Eco-tours 1 star ONLY because they refunded my money after canceling my excursion less than 15 hours before the excursion was supposed to happen. My wife and I booked a shark swim excursion months ago and paid for the excursion. My wife got a What’s App message from the company at 4:25pm the day before we were suppose to attend our 7am excursion, telling us that another couple canceled their booking, so they required us (and a second couple) to pay an extra $64usd in order to go on the trip. Allegedly the company booked this third couple “on a verbal agreement”and they cancelled last minute…right…. Seems like Eco tours were trying to scam more money out of my wife and me. How is it our problem that the company allegedly booked another couple on a “verbal agreement” only for said people to cancel without making payment. Most adventure companies operate by having participating customers pay in advance and if those customers cancel less than 24 hours, they lose their money. That doesn’t seem to be the way Eco shark tours operates. It seems like they make up some BS story to extort more money from customers who’ve already paid for an agreed upon amount. When we originally booked our trip, again more than a month ago, we were NEVER informed that the price was contingent upon having a certain amount of customers. When my wife asked Eco shark tours to provide there policy in writing where it states they require a minimum number of customers, the company told her “I’ve looked for it and it would seem it’s been removed”! So they couldn’t provide any proof of a minimum group size. African shark eco-charters offered to change the date, but we already had stuff planned the other days offered. African Shark eco charters should have honored our booking and the booking of the other couple, for the date and times we booked and paid for! Again, how is it our problem the company booking a third couple on a “verbal agreement”??? Imagine buying a car for an agreed amount, only to have the dealership require more money upon delivery because they didn’t sell enough cars…🙄
If you’re looking to go on a shark swim adventure, I’d highly suggest you book with a different company who will actually take you out on the date YOU PAID FOR without asking you to pay more money the day before…terrible company to do business with.
If you’re looking to go on a shark swim adventure, I’d highly suggest you book with a different company who will actually take you out on the date YOU PAID FOR without asking you to pay more money the day before…terrible company to do business with.
Written 2 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DAng9494
Greater London, UK4 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Friendly people and very professional. We knew exactly what to expect and did see a couple of Bronze Sharks. Boat and equipment were to high standard.
Written 4 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Escape557452
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
My kids had an absolute blast! Staff were amazing! Highly recommend! Saw sharks! Staff answered all questions! They also arranged transportation from the hotel and back!
Written 28 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katy N
2 contributions
Jul 2023
The communication with this group was incredibly frustrating. Unanswered calls, emails that weren't replied to, and ultimately based on false marketing--there haven't been any great white sharks seen in False Bay in about 5 years according to the staff on our boat.
We booked months in advance, but when we arrived in Cape Town, we discovered there had been a scheduling error with our other tours. I sent an email inquiring about whether we could switch our tour to another day, and got no response. When I finally got ahold of them at 9:30pm with the help of our hotel concierge because we still hadn't heard about our scheduled pickup time for the next morning, we were told that our initial booking had been cancelled, and our date had been changed to a different day that we could not attend. I stated that we could not make the new booked date (which was done without communication or consent), and requested that we attend what we had originally booked. The office manager stated that they had already given our spots on the morning trip away to someone else (again, without any communication to us), so we'd have to attend the afternoon trip. This timing made us adjust other plans that we'd had for the afternoon as well.
When we got to the boat, the crew had my family suit up first, but then wait until there was a shark sighting before we got into the water. They talked about how the morning dive had been great, but when asked about any Great Whites (which are plastered all over the website), they revealed that there haven't been any sightings of them in about 5 years! The crew worked extremely hard to chum the waters, but after two hours of sitting on the sunny deck in neoprene wetsuits, we were told that they were calling it a day, and we wouldn't be getting in the water.
I understand that wild animals are unpredictable, and the sharks are not kept in a tank, so there are no guarantees. When I reached out to request a 50% refund given the hassle we'd had with our bookings being changed, the lack of communication, and the ultimate waste of our precious vacation time, I was told that we would receive vouchers for another trip. Given our other scheduled plans, we are unable to use vouchers, so those were never sent either.
Again, the crew on the boat was great, and worked SO hard to ensure our safety and enjoyment of the day. The office staff on the other hand is a nightmare to work with, and don't expect to see any Great Whites. Go for a scuba dive instead, or save your money.
We booked months in advance, but when we arrived in Cape Town, we discovered there had been a scheduling error with our other tours. I sent an email inquiring about whether we could switch our tour to another day, and got no response. When I finally got ahold of them at 9:30pm with the help of our hotel concierge because we still hadn't heard about our scheduled pickup time for the next morning, we were told that our initial booking had been cancelled, and our date had been changed to a different day that we could not attend. I stated that we could not make the new booked date (which was done without communication or consent), and requested that we attend what we had originally booked. The office manager stated that they had already given our spots on the morning trip away to someone else (again, without any communication to us), so we'd have to attend the afternoon trip. This timing made us adjust other plans that we'd had for the afternoon as well.
When we got to the boat, the crew had my family suit up first, but then wait until there was a shark sighting before we got into the water. They talked about how the morning dive had been great, but when asked about any Great Whites (which are plastered all over the website), they revealed that there haven't been any sightings of them in about 5 years! The crew worked extremely hard to chum the waters, but after two hours of sitting on the sunny deck in neoprene wetsuits, we were told that they were calling it a day, and we wouldn't be getting in the water.
I understand that wild animals are unpredictable, and the sharks are not kept in a tank, so there are no guarantees. When I reached out to request a 50% refund given the hassle we'd had with our bookings being changed, the lack of communication, and the ultimate waste of our precious vacation time, I was told that we would receive vouchers for another trip. Given our other scheduled plans, we are unable to use vouchers, so those were never sent either.
Again, the crew on the boat was great, and worked SO hard to ensure our safety and enjoyment of the day. The office staff on the other hand is a nightmare to work with, and don't expect to see any Great Whites. Go for a scuba dive instead, or save your money.
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nandhini Balasubramaniam
4 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
Crew were really patient and answered all my questions, especially Kyle. Thank you guys. Recommended.
Written 3 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AIRJAWS
Thank you, it was such a pleasure being of service to you!
Written 17 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Trent
Dayton, OH8 contributions
Once-in-a-lifetime experience! The trip lasted approximately 4 hours. The staff was incredible, working very hard to make sure we found and were able to swim with sharks. We viewed about four to five sharks and lots of seals. I would strongly recommend this tour!
Written 2 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AIRJAWS
Thank you, we had an awesome time with you too :-)
Written 17 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mamafly
Salt Lake City, UT217 contributions
From the beginning of my booking the tour operator was very quick to answer my questions and concerns. The first two trips had to cancel the m the mornings but he arranged for an afternoon tour. Boat operators were very informative and had a lot of knowledge. We passed seal island too. I’m am so glad that I chose this company as the small group and more intimate trip was something that has been on my bucket list for YEARS!
Written 16 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AIRJAWS
Thank you! We are thrilled to make the adventure a reality :-)
Written 17 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Raphlacoch
Lille, France2 contributions
Hello, I'll be in Cape Town last week of this month, any white shark spotting this month? Thanks for your answer
AIRJAWS
Cape Town Central, South Africa38 contributions
Hi there
It's not white Shark season yet. We are currently diving with Broadnose Sevengilled Cow sharks. It's the same trip but a different Shark we are seeing at the island. Great fun!
Simara Mombelli
Porto Alegre, RS38 contributions
Hello! We travel to Cape Town next week, we arrive december 25. These period is possible to see great white sharks? We have 2 days for option: 26 or 29, but in the last day we travel on 8pm.
RichAndNades B
Cape Town Central, South Africa16 contributions
Unfortunately in False bay it is not Great white season and there have been no sightings of white sharks around the Cape region for the past 3-4 weeks.
CharleneW W
Toronto, Canada227 contributions
Hi! Do I need to know how to swim in order to join? Thanks for your help!
AIRJAWS
Cape Town Central, South Africa38 contributions
hi. yes. you must know how to swim and feel comfortable in the ocean, even though its in a cage.
tezzaafcb
Bournemouth18 contributions
Hi we are in Cape Town from August 21st-31st, Is this a good time to see Great Whites? Thank you
Hi, thanks for the opportunity to answer your question. Usually August falls within the Great White Shark park season in Simon's Town, but this year has been a bit of a challenge in as much as we have had no Great Whites to the island this season. We are, however able to assist you with trips to other areas where they have been having consistent and abundant Great White activity. We look forward to being of assistance. Please contact us directly for info.
Donna C
187 contributions
My husband and I are coming to Cape Town the beginning of September. I get seasick and am wondering if this time of the year the seas are calmer.
I would love to do this dive with my husband .
Jim S
5 contributions
I was there this past August and the sea was unpredictable. There were large swells 4 of the 5 days. That said, they are one of the better operators that won't send the boat out if the swells get higher than a certain height in order to keep it comfortable. The trans dermal patch is definitely the way to go. Nadine was so helpful when we went and made the trip well worth it.
A trip to remember for sure.
debdoodleNewYork
Staten Island, NY283 contributions
Can anyone tell me if Video is taken by the crew and offered for sale at the end of the trip? Just curious.
AIRJAWS
Cape Town Central, South Africa38 contributions
Hi. You are welcome to rent gopros but we don't take a video.
EmilyV-Michigan
Michigan29 contributions
How has shark viewing been lately?? We have a dive trip planned week (feb.19)and I am curious if there are been a good amount of shark activity lately
AIRJAWS
Cape Town Central, South Africa38 contributions
Hi
Please email us directly and we will assist you.
EmilyV-Michigan
Michigan29 contributions
Are closed toed shoes a necessity? I am wondering if Teva sandals are sufficient.
AIRJAWS
Cape Town Central, South Africa38 contributions
Hi
I am not sure what Teva sandals are but as long as it's flat shoes it will be fine.
eimatthews123
Los Angeles, CA
Hi, I will be traveling to South Africa next week. I'm trying to find the most ethical shark diving company – one that doesn't bait sharks with blood, but rather goes into waters where they are known to gather. I'd like to know more about the eco-friendly ethics of your trips. Thanks
steve S
Auburn, WA8 contributions
African Shark Eco-Charters conducts its dives near Seal Island, not far from Simon's Town. The thousands of seals on the island naturally attract sharks to the area. (Hope that your boat isn't downwind from the island or you will gain an appreciation of how thousands of seals can perfume the wind.)
To attract the sharks to the boat, African Shark Eco-Charters does not dump blood and fish parts into the water--commonly called chumming. The crew uses fish heads attached to lines. They throw the heads into the water and pull them back into the boat and repeat. There is a constant throw and retrieve so much so that I'm sure the crew members have arms like popeye. This action attracts the sharks. Occasionally, a shark is too fast and catches a head, but this is not the intent of the crew and doesn't happen too often. When a shark does get a hold of a head, however, it's a great show for the passengers, because the shark will thrash and flail the water in its attempt to get away with the head. My best pictures are from when a shark got a head.