Gansbaai

I'm now in Gansbaai, the world capital of the Great White Shark, with Dyer Island ( about 25km off Gansbaai) presenting the best place in the world to discover, observe and dive with these elusive and wonderful animals. From June through December, Gansbaai becomes home to the Southern Right Whale. This coastline and the many bays then become the breeding area for these giants of the Oceans. I've seen a couple a whales from the coast in the mornings when I go out to sea on the boat.

Gansbaai Harbour

Gansbaai itself is a very small fishing village. You can basically walk from one end of the village to the other in just 15 mins. It has a harbour where the fishing boats come in at about 2-4pm in the afternoon. The fishermen here fish a kind of fish (hope that sounds right) called Snoek. And you can also buy it fresh straight off the boat, where the fisherman will help you descale and fillet it.

Fisherman with Snoek

Descaling & filleting

Along with the fishing industry, Gansbaai has grown into a charming village and holiday resort. It has primary school, churches of various denominations and shops to provide for every need. Fishmongers are stocked with fresh catches daily. Gansbaai is a popular holiday resort for boating and fishing enthusiasts and whale watchers. Dyer Island near Gansbaai is a breeding colony for jackass penquins while seals breed on nearby Geyser Rock. There is a narrow channel in the sea between Geyser Rock and Dyer Island which is home to up to 60 000 Cape Fur Seals.

60,000 seals! Just imagine the smell!

The narrow channel is called shark alley. The sea around these islands have become the feeding ground of the endangered great white shark and regular shark safaris are undertaken from Gansbaai. Since the area around Dyer Island has been declared a nature reserve, boats may only enter this area with a permit given by the Department of Nature Conservation.

Shark cage diving!

I'm staying in a nice house by the coast. The view from my room is magnificent! It looks out to the sea. And I sleep and wake up to the sound of crashing waves!

Room with a view!

The winds and waves are very strong. Sea conditions can change in a blink of an eye. When there is a storm, it is like being in a middle of a hurricane, except the locals here just call it a storm. Many ships have run aground on the treacherous rocks around here, with the legendary Cape of Good Hope just around the corner (about 100 miles).

Treacherous swells