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All 11 Gansbaai Attractions »

Shark Diving Unlimited

1 Swart Street, Gansbaai 7220, South Africa
+27 (0) 82 441 4555
Ranked #1 of 9 tours in Gansbaai
4.5 of 5 stars 44 Reviews
Type: Tours
Owner description: Shark Diving Unlimited specialises in conservation and education initiatives of all shark species around our coastline Owned by Michael Rutzen who has...... more » Owner description: Shark Diving Unlimited specialises in conservation and education initiatives of all shark species around our coastline Owned by Michael Rutzen who has been working with great white sharks since 1994. Four years later Mike began freediving with great white sharks and is now known worldwide as one of the few people who is able to interact with these magnificent predators outside the safety of the cage!Breathtaking images of Mike have been featured in numerous magazines and documentaries including BEYOND FEAR (National Geographic) and SHARKMAN (Discovery). Mike’s aim is to portray positive images of great white sharks in order to dispel the ‘JAWS’ myth.Mike is a PADI Instructor and the only person in the world qualified to teach the prestigious Great White Shark Distinctive Specialty PADI course. He is a qualified skipper, First Aid instructor, qualified rebreather, nitrox and commercial diver. Your skipper Frank Rutzen has spent his life on the ocean from Kwa-Zulu Natal to the Western Cape. He has worked in the great white shark cage diving industry since 1995 and has a passion for wildlife and an extensive knowledge of the Dyer Island marine ecosystem.Nsunda is a qualified South African tour guide and qualified scuba diver. He will help you with all your diving equipment needs and make sure that your day runs smoothly!Shark Diving Unlimited was the company of choice for HRH Prince Harry, His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt. « less
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44 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    28
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    4
    3
    0
Date Rating
bdorgan
ireland
Senior Contributor
29 reviews
55 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 21, 2012 NEW

Shark diving - amazing experience, 10 out of 10for adrenalin rush. There were 6 of us on the trip so we got a good 90 minutes in the cage. The inly complaint was the Service could be better, the half hour of waiting could be used to talk about shark conservation and info on sharks More

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MagicDawn
Berkshire
Senior Contributor
25 reviews
12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 21, 2012 NEW

a truly wonderful experience. An honour to be able to see the great white sharks from such a close proximity. The sharls are NEVER fed. If anything, they will get bored with the boat, knowing they won't get fed. We saw 15 sharks and I would say that 11 of them swam past us without a second glance. It was... More

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collydub
dublin
1 review
2 of 5 stars Reviewed February 17, 2012 NEW

We were very excited about this trip after reading the great reviews on this site but unfortunately we were left disappointed. After we had paid up our money, signed disclaimer etc. and boarded the boat we were told that there was zero visibility in the water and there was no point getting into the cage. We felt totally conned as... More

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RSOslo
Oslo
Contributor
11 reviews
24 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 2, 2012

Having planned a trip to Cape Town to celebrate a family birthday, my sister and brother-in-law bought me this cage dive as a Christmas present - turned out to be one of the best I've ever had! Despite diving at the worst time of year we got to see the most amazing of sharks up close as soon as we... More

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2WorldExplorers
Calgary, Canada
Senior Contributor
40 reviews
10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 14, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

We called Shark Diving Unlimited at the advice of a fellow traveller we had met several weeks earlier. We were not disappointed. They found a shark quickly and their cage was well designed to make sure that diver's could rotate quickly and give everyone at least one dive. Everyone on our trip could have gone twice or three times if... More

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sofifer
bsas
Contributor
12 reviews
4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 13, 2012

It is mainly to see the sharks, not so much to get a lesson of the area and the animals. Service a bit basic and relatively friendly. More

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Gabby B
Oxford
1 review
1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 7, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

The entire trip, starting from the 6am pick up was fantastic. The crew where very professional and it was very comforting to know that they really do care about the sharks and that they were not doing any harmful or invasive practices to the beautiful creatures and their habitat. The boat is well equipped, and there was plenty of food... More

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jmleon72
Chicago
Senior Contributor
32 reviews
43 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed December 28, 2011

We've heard that there are some dodgy cage diving operations out there and Shark Diving Unlimited was definitely NOT one of them. The boat team was professional and yet laid back. We felt very safe. The office and kitchen staff was friendly and attentive. The breakfast and lunch was basic, but good and most welcome especially on the return! This... More

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perper78
Stockholm, Sweden
Contributor
14 reviews
8 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed December 27, 2011

Wouldn't say that Shark Diving Unlimited got me saying WOW... For sure it was a thrilling moment to see the great whites snap at the tuna the crew put on the hook, but the overall experience was just so-so. The crew was unfriendly and not very helpful. I definitely expected more when paying 1200 ZAR. More

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girlsaroundtheworld
scotland
Senior Contributor
30 reviews
4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 23, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

This was a conservation experience. I expected to dive with great whites (which I did) but got so much more! More

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