These are the 4 best places to dive with Great White Sharks. These dive operations go a long way to dispel the pop culture notion of the great white shark as the bloodthirsty killer depicted in countless movies.
More and more people are seeking out an opportunity to come face to face with one of the ocean’s most feared predators.
Great white sharks are beautiful animals that deserve our respect. So without further ado, here are the top places in the world to dive with great white sharks.
#1 Farrallon Islands Northern California
If you’re looking for quick trip to see Great White Sharks, the Farrallon Islands might be just the thing you’re looking for. Some of largest great white sharks in the world come to the Farrallons to hunt elephant seals.
Trips depart from San Francisco from about mid September until mid November.
This is a day trip with options for top level viewing (ie. no diving) or a surface cage. You don’t need a scuba certification as air is supplied from a hookah system. This is a great option for beginners.
Dive operators use seal decoys and not chum or tuna bait to lure the sharks in. This may or may not always be effective so there are no guarantees that you’ll actually see any sharks.
The water is cold as in 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (10-13 degrees Celsius)! So I would recommend 7mm wet suits with hoods and gloves.
Finally, visibility is not always great (ie. less than 15 or 20 feet or 4-6 meters).
Trips costs are $825 USD for cage divers and $475 USD for Top side viewing only.
For more information see Shark Dive Adventures.
#2 Diving with Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island is the premier great white shark diving location on the planet. Marine Biologists believe white sharks come to Guadalupe island to feed on seals and sea lions before migrating to the “White Shark Cafe” somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Dive operators offer 5 day live-aboard trip packages that depart from San Diego, USA, or Ensenada, Mexico. It takes about 18 hours by boat from Ensenada to Guadalupe Island.
Charters run from August until November. The later you go in the season, the larger the sharks you’ll see. I was there in late October and the sharks averaged around 15 feet. We did see one absolutely massive 18-footer too!
To lure the sharks in, dive operators use tuna bait and chum. So you’re virtually guaranteed to see some serious Great White Shark action!
The water at Guadalupe is clear blue and visibility is excellent at about 150ft to 200ft (45-60 meters). This is important for all the photographers out there because there’s very little to no backscatter to wreck you photos.
The water temperature is in the 70 Fahrenheit range (21 degrees Celsius) so you won’t freeze your butt off.
Most dive operators offer 2 options for viewing sharks. First, there are surface level cages with a hookah system seen in the picture below.
Second, there are submersible cages that descend 20ft to 40ft for certified divers. I highly recommend the submersible cage experience. After all, who wouldn’t want a “high-five” from a White Shark!
There’s great top level viewing too. I captured this action while sipping my morning coffee:
The trip costs range from about $2800 to $3000 USD for the luxury live-aboards.
#3 Neptune Islands South Australia
If you’re going Down Under and looking to dive with great white sharks, I can’t think of better guides than Rodney and Andrew Fox.
Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions offers year-round trips to the Neptune Islands for great white shark diving on board their vessel the Calypso.
Trips depart from Port Lincoln so you’ll have to fly or drive from Adelaide.
There’s great top side viewing as well as the surface cage option for non-divers.
The coolest thing about this trip is the ocean floor cage where a submersible cage is dropped onto the ocean floor. You must have an open water dive certification for this cage.
Water temperature ranges from high 50s to high 60s Fahrenheit (15-20 degrees Celsius)
Visibility is pretty good about 65 feet (20 meters).
The trip cost is about $1800 USD (not including flights etc).
#4 False Bay / Gansbaai South Africa
If you want to check out “Air Jaws” then South Africa is where you want to be. Apex Shark Expeditions offers trips to Seal Island and the infamous Shark Alley.
White sharks come to feed on Cape fur seals. The best time to see the action is from mid-June to the end of July. Outside of that peak time you got about a 50/50 chance of seeing a Great White shark from February to September.
The tour operator offers a surface cage capable of holding 5 people. You do not need to be a certified diver for this experience. It’s recommended to simply use a snorkel and hold your breath when underwater. Certified divers can request use of a hookah though.
The water is cold. Average temperatures range from high 50s to mid 60s Fahrenheit (14-18 degrees Celsius).
Visibility is generally quite good in South Africa, ranging from about 50 to 130 feet.
The trip cost is less than $200 USD for a half day trip (not including flights etc).
Thanks for reading the 4 best places to dive with Great White Sharks.
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