Globe Corner Blogs

It was just one shark at first, then three, then five.  When the day was out, we had seen 11 great whites ranging from 7-16 feet in length, their dorsal and tail fins sticking out of the water like the slate-gray triangles you see in movies. The boat picked up speed and the captain tossed a seal-shaped piece of tire-rubber attached to a rope off of the back of the boat.  A shark took it.  Then he threw out another one, and managed to reel it back it – the number of teeth marks imprinted in the thing was astounding.  After witnessing this act, I decided that it was now or never: I volunteered to be the first (and ultimately the only) one to venture off the boat and into the cage.

The first misnomer about cage “diving” with great white sharks is the “diving” part.  Although you can wear a regulator to see the sharks, it is much more likely that they will come close to the cage if you use a snorkel.  The instant you touch the water, I learned, the sharks can sense your heat and hear your heartbeat.  Adding the noise of the regulator frightens them away.

I got into the cage, which was lowered 3/4 of the way into the water and lashed to the boat, and the lid was closed.  I was instantly aware, like an animal instinct, that there were things in the water larger than me, that knew I was there.  If it hadn’t been covered by 7mm of neoprene, you would have seen the hair on my arms go mohawk.  The force of the waves knocked me around.  Surf entered my snorkel, and I tasted chum.  I frantically swam up as a wave knocked me into the side of the cage, causing my arms and feet to flail outside of the (admittedly limited) caged protection.  I saw shadows zipping below me.  They sensed my heartbeat.  But I never saw a mouthful of teeth up close like in the advertisements.

I got out, not entirely disappointed, and continued to watch the show from above – a drier, and actually better, view.

Diving with sharks does not have to be a fear-inducing experience, but I recommend that you try it on a day with appropriate swell.  Worrying about the location of all of your limbs naturally detracts from the event itself – an opportunity to commune with nature.  Also, if you consider cage diving, you should also know that the practice is somewhat controversial, particularly the use of chum to attract sharks.  Just like you shouldn’t touch the fluffy things (see Part 1), you also shouldn’t feed the wild animals, and have them used to having humans around.   Despite this, if you do decide to take the plunge, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I don’t regret.  I learned a lot about these top predators that day, and gained a tremendous amount of respect for the power of the sea.

Read more: Diving, Nature & Wildlife, Oceans, Scuba, South Africa, Travel


Meghan went around the world in 2006, and is dying to do it again. Meghan loves all things ocean and enjoys scuba diving in exotic locales.

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