Attractions
Gansbaai is a peaceful old fishing village on Walker Bay. Known worldwide as the Capital of the Great White Shark, Gansbaai is also considered to offer the best boat and shore based Whale Watching. The Fynbos surrounding Gansbaai is a botanical haven, and the coastal sceneries are magic.
To understand why this little quaint old fishing village of Gansbaai is
known as the Big 2 Town, let us tell you more about
the big two, being sharks and whales:
Playground of the whales
During May to December of each year, the Gansbaai coastline becomes the home of the Southern Right Whale. They come from the Antarctic to the warmer waters of the South African Coast. Calves are mostly born during August, have an average length of 6.1 meters and weigh 1 ton at birth. They suckle for 4-8 months, drink up to 600 litres of milk per day and grow some 3 cm per day.
The mothers do not eat during this period but live on blubber that they have stored up during the summer season. This animal becomes 8 to 10 times the size of a bull elephant, a 16-meter giant of some 50 tons and has a life expectancy of 50 to 100 years. Although huge, it is incredibly graceful being able to pass gently under or next to your boat.
They have a tendency to be friendly and playful, and be a bit of a show-off. A spectacular sight is the breach of this 50-ton creature. The breach can be compared to a missile being launched from a nuclear submarine. The loud roar as it rockets up from the deep to the huge crash as it lands back into the sea. Truly an unforgettable experience!
White Shark Capital of the world
The Great White has become one of the most misunderstood, even hated animals on our planet. They have been pursued, hunted and indiscriminately slaughtered over the years, to the point where they have become an endangered specie. Therefore diving with these magnificent and mysterious creatures in a protected environment helps introduce an objective perspective and dispels some of the myth and fear that surround them.
Great Whites have for decades inhabited the waters of Dyer Island, as the water temperature and plentiful food source i.e. seals are conducive to what they enjoy, making them the top predator in the marine food chain. They have an extremely acute sense of smell and can detect an odour nearly a kilometer from it’s source. It’s hearing is more acute than that of a human’s or other fish, and their eyes are ten times more sensitive than that of human in dim light.
Come challenge yourself and dive within the safety of a specially
designed cage and see the Great White eye to eye.
A once in a lifetime awe inspiring experience not to be missed!
Places of Interest
- Danger Point Lighthouse
- Harbour for guided tours through fish factory
- Klipgat Caves - Underground limestone and Table mountain sandstone broken through by rising sea level
- 4x4 Trails
- Boat based whale watching tours
Shipwrecks
- The Birkenhead (1852)
- Johanna at Die Dam (1682)
- Nicobar at Quoin Point (1783)
- Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum
(No visit to this part of the coast should miss the opportunity to visit this museum, which is the only one of its kind in South Africa)
Beaches
- Pearly Beach and Uilenkraalsmond provide safe bathing.
- Stanford's Cove is a good picnic spot with magnificent milk wood trees and safe bathing.