Top Shark diving spots in South Africa:
Immortalized by films like Jaws and stories that have been told around the fire at night, Sharks are feared by many and yet very few of the species are known to actually attack humans and on the rare occasion that they do it is mostly always a case of mistaken identity or territoriality. In the past very little was known about these amazing species hence their terrifying legends but as more research is done into the different species and their habits an understanding is being developed that is debunking all those amazing out there legends. The majority species that can be found in and around South Africa are the Great White, Whale Shark, Hammerhead, Bull Shark and Tiger Shark.
The Great White Shark:
The one and only shark that was the main character of the jaws films. This interesting shark is a larger member of the Lamniformes whose characteristics include 2 dorsal fins, and anal fin, five gill slits, eyes without nictitating membranes and a mouth extending behind the eyes. Its scientific name is Carcharodon Carcharias which comes from the Greek words Karcharos, meaning sharp or jagged, and odous, meaning tooth. The shark can grow to the size of 20-21 feet but usually you will find sharks that are 15-18 feet long. Its favorite food are pinnipeds (such as seals and sea lions) but they are also known to eat fish, porpoises, dolphins, whale carcasses and some times sea turtles, penguins, sea otters and other shark and have also known to be cannibalistic.
Whale Shark
Belonging to the Rhincodon genus and the Rhincodontidae family, the whale shark is considered to be the largest fish in the world, hence the name. It is a slow filter feeding shark that is harmless and can even be playful with divers, except when divers are accidentally struck by the fins or tail. It prefers to inhabit tropical and warm temperate waters and feeds on Phytoplankton, macro-algae, plankton, krill and small nektonic (animals which are able to swim on their own against currents in fresh and salty water) life forms such as squid and vertebrates. The females are ovoviviparous (gestation occurs in the uterus after birth from an egg) giving birth to live young which can be between 40 and 60cms long. They generally reach sexual maturity at 30 and can live well over 100years. Considered to be a deity in Vietnamese religion, calling the animal Ca Ong which literally translates into “sir fish.”
Hammerhead shark:
(Images found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerhead_shark)
Belonging to the genus Sphyrna which comes from the Greek term meaning Hammer and the family Sphyrnidae, there are 9 subspecies:
Scalloped Hammerhead
Hammerheads are found in warmer water along coastlines and continental shelves. They are ferocious predators which eat, fish, rays, cephalopods and crustaceans. The hammerhead is unusual from other sharks in the fact that it has internal fertilization and gestation, lasting 10-12months similar to mammals; they give birth to live young and range in size from 0.9-6m.
Bullshark
(Image found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark)
The Bullshark is also known as the Bull whaler, Zambezi Shark or Nicaragua shark. It is well known for its unpredictable and often aggressive behavior and it is by scientists that as they prefer to dwell in shallow waters and as they also tolerate fresh water, often found 1000 miles upriver, that they are possibly the biggest threat to humans out of all the sharks. Its name derives from its stocky shape, broad flat snout and aggressive unpredictable behavior. Commonly found in coastal areas of warm oceans, in river, lakes and some times in deeper streams. They can grow to between 2m and 4m long and the females are usually larger than the males.
Tigershark
(Image found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_shark)
This shark is known to be the 2nd largest predatory shark in the world and grows to an average size of 3.25m to 4.25m; there have been cases though of species that were caught that turned out to be larger than 6.5m. Enjoys tropical to subtropical waters but can also be found in temperate waters and can be mainly found around the tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its name derives from the dark stripes running down its body and these tend to fade as it grows older. Its usual diet consists of fish, seals, birds, smaller sharks, squid and turtles although tires, license plates, suits of armor and other man made objects have been found in its digestive tract giving it the name “the waste basket of the sea.” It usually gives birth to live young with litters of between 10 and 80 sharks. It is considered, along with bullsharks and great white sharks, to be the most dangerous shark to man due to its unusual feeding habits.
The best diving spots in South Africa are Aliwal shoal, considered to be among the top 10 diving spots in the world and situated in Kwazulu natal, Gansbaai (Dyer Island) in Western Cape, Mosselbaai in Western Cape, Protea banks in Kwazulu Natal, and Sodwana Bay in Kwazulu Natal. Here you can experience both shark cage diving and free diving for those braver souls although it is always at your own risk. There are many tour operators that organize diving with sharks so just contact the nearest info centre for the most reliable.
The Great White Shark:
The one and only shark that was the main character of the jaws films. This interesting shark is a larger member of the Lamniformes whose characteristics include 2 dorsal fins, and anal fin, five gill slits, eyes without nictitating membranes and a mouth extending behind the eyes. Its scientific name is Carcharodon Carcharias which comes from the Greek words Karcharos, meaning sharp or jagged, and odous, meaning tooth. The shark can grow to the size of 20-21 feet but usually you will find sharks that are 15-18 feet long. Its favorite food are pinnipeds (such as seals and sea lions) but they are also known to eat fish, porpoises, dolphins, whale carcasses and some times sea turtles, penguins, sea otters and other shark and have also known to be cannibalistic.
Whale Shark
Belonging to the Rhincodon genus and the Rhincodontidae family, the whale shark is considered to be the largest fish in the world, hence the name. It is a slow filter feeding shark that is harmless and can even be playful with divers, except when divers are accidentally struck by the fins or tail. It prefers to inhabit tropical and warm temperate waters and feeds on Phytoplankton, macro-algae, plankton, krill and small nektonic (animals which are able to swim on their own against currents in fresh and salty water) life forms such as squid and vertebrates. The females are ovoviviparous (gestation occurs in the uterus after birth from an egg) giving birth to live young which can be between 40 and 60cms long. They generally reach sexual maturity at 30 and can live well over 100years. Considered to be a deity in Vietnamese religion, calling the animal Ca Ong which literally translates into “sir fish.”
Hammerhead shark:
(Images found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerhead_shark)
Belonging to the genus Sphyrna which comes from the Greek term meaning Hammer and the family Sphyrnidae, there are 9 subspecies:
Scalloped Hammerhead
Hammerheads are found in warmer water along coastlines and continental shelves. They are ferocious predators which eat, fish, rays, cephalopods and crustaceans. The hammerhead is unusual from other sharks in the fact that it has internal fertilization and gestation, lasting 10-12months similar to mammals; they give birth to live young and range in size from 0.9-6m.
Bullshark
(Image found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark)
The Bullshark is also known as the Bull whaler, Zambezi Shark or Nicaragua shark. It is well known for its unpredictable and often aggressive behavior and it is by scientists that as they prefer to dwell in shallow waters and as they also tolerate fresh water, often found 1000 miles upriver, that they are possibly the biggest threat to humans out of all the sharks. Its name derives from its stocky shape, broad flat snout and aggressive unpredictable behavior. Commonly found in coastal areas of warm oceans, in river, lakes and some times in deeper streams. They can grow to between 2m and 4m long and the females are usually larger than the males.
Tigershark
(Image found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_shark)
This shark is known to be the 2nd largest predatory shark in the world and grows to an average size of 3.25m to 4.25m; there have been cases though of species that were caught that turned out to be larger than 6.5m. Enjoys tropical to subtropical waters but can also be found in temperate waters and can be mainly found around the tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its name derives from the dark stripes running down its body and these tend to fade as it grows older. Its usual diet consists of fish, seals, birds, smaller sharks, squid and turtles although tires, license plates, suits of armor and other man made objects have been found in its digestive tract giving it the name “the waste basket of the sea.” It usually gives birth to live young with litters of between 10 and 80 sharks. It is considered, along with bullsharks and great white sharks, to be the most dangerous shark to man due to its unusual feeding habits.
The best diving spots in South Africa are Aliwal shoal, considered to be among the top 10 diving spots in the world and situated in Kwazulu natal, Gansbaai (Dyer Island) in Western Cape, Mosselbaai in Western Cape, Protea banks in Kwazulu Natal, and Sodwana Bay in Kwazulu Natal. Here you can experience both shark cage diving and free diving for those braver souls although it is always at your own risk. There are many tour operators that organize diving with sharks so just contact the nearest info centre for the most reliable.
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