Scuba Diving, Cage Diving & Wildlife
Photography Expedition, South Africa

“Seeing this apex predator free flying up in the mid air is categorically out of this world." 

Overwhelmed was my first reaction when I witnessed "Air Jaws” for the first time (as recently seen on the Discovery Channel).  I was not able to fathom the action and the lightning speed by which the Great White Shark was airborne a full 15 feet out of the water and only 18 feet away from my lens.  For the first time I froze and was fixated on the awesome and unbelievable event folded in front of my experienced eyes in the last three seconds.

Indeed, it took only three seconds for a Great White Shark, the apex predator, to leap out of the water after the seal dummy that was towed behind our boat.  These three seconds were perhaps the most precious time I have spent in the 20 years I have been filming Great Whites worldwide.  I’ve filmed the Great White Shark in Australia, San Francisco, and New York but only in South Africa have I seen and photographed such unique action.

Now Big Animals Photography Expeditions delivers the most outstanding Great White Sharks photography encounters in the world. We will combine four days of photography on board Theuns Este's 60-foot catamaran, a very stable photography platform in the  waters at False Bay where we will photograph "Air Jaws", and eight days of cage diving in Gansbaai (shark alley) with Andre Hartman & Michael, the well known shark wranglers from National Geographic productions (Magazine & TV).  By joining us, and we take only three guests, you become one of a handful modern time adventurer - photographers in the caliber of the Discovery and National Geographic teams. 

“We’d planned on a long wait but the action had already started when we  arrived. Adrenaline pumping, I was over the side and into the cage in about a minute. Visibility was 50 feet in all directions; clear green on one side and rich blue on the other. Another bait line was flung from the boat to land directly in front of the cage. A big white shark hit it almost immediately. As I fought to frame the shark in my viewfinder, the cage started shaking violently and I was knocked to my knees. All I could see was this massive body churning the sea into a frenzy as it attacked the bait again."

Nothing, absolutely nothing you have ever seen in the sea or out of it, can prepare you for the first time you encounter the great white shark in its element. It’s one of those seminal experiences that you will never forget, a freeze-frame in your memory. You’ll want pictures, but you won’t need them: the sight will remain forever imprinted on your cerebral cortex, ready to be called forth at a moment’s notice.

Unlike other great white shark cage diving trips that try to put 8 to 16 people into the water, we service for only three guests and have two steel cages in order to guarantee that you spend the maximum amount of time possible in the water with these fabulous animals. While the cages ensure your safety, it is still a daunting experience to realize that you are in the water with creatures that you are not going to eat, but that are exceedingly interested in eating you. As an atavistic experience, encounters with great whites are hard to surpass.

Andre Hartman has become a synonym to the Great White Shark experience in South Africa's shark alley mostly due to the National Geographic productions there in 2000 (TV & Magazine). However, Andre and I go back to '95 when I started searching for new Great White Shark experiences other than those I had in Australia. Two-time spear fishing champion of South Africa, his exceptional knowledge of Carhcarodon carcharias’s habits enables him to locate Great White Sharks when other operators fail. Furthermore, Andre poses a unique sense of being 'in nature' which allows him to push over all human misconception about sharks. In fact, he handles them with his own bare hands.

Off the boat, in the water, and in the cages, on numerous trips we have dived with as many as eleven different Great White Sharks, from 12-foot juveniles to massive 19 foot mature females.

Dyer Channel (or "shark alley" as seen in the attached aerial image) is a 20 feet deep body of water that lies between Dyer and Geyser islands. It is no surprise that Great Whites frequent this channel, as there is an overwhelmingly large Cape fur seal population on Geyser Island of between 30,000 and up to 45,000 seals. Seals are a major source of fat and protein for our apex predators...the best restaurant row in the wild. :-)

Seals Island at False Bay off Simonstown also provides refuge and habitat to over 60,000 Cape fur seals. Is it surprising that Great White Sharks might frequent this area too? NO.

However, unlike the shallow Dyer Channel (Shark Alley), Seals Island is surrounded by deep water, which perhaps explains the phenomenon of "Air Jaws". In order to feed here sharks utilize the deep, dark water to their advantage. Most events take place in the early morning or late afternoon leaving the Great Whites many opportunities to ambush the seals as the seals return from their night hunting to their colony on the island.

In both cases, when we make our eight-day stay in Gansbaai and four-day visit in Simonstown our lodging will be in a local and colorful B&B situated only minutes away from the boats. The boat ride take 20 - 30 minutes to get to "Shark Alley" and about 40 minutes to reach Seals Island. Every night, we rest in a real bed in our hotel. Safe from the vagaries of the weather, we enjoy meals served on motionless tables.

Great White Sharks have a disconcerting ability to sneak up behind you. This is how they hunt seals, which are faster and quicker in the water. One of our divers found this out when he was pressing against the back of a cage to photograph two sharks in front of him. Noticing his companion gesticulating wildly, he finally turned around to find the snout of a fifteen-foot great white intently probing the bars....

If you’re ready for the Great White Shark experience of a lifetime, join us on our next trip!

Ready to join us on our next trip?
We recommend early reservation to avoid disappointment. Space is limited and interest is high.

With your expedition application and your deposit of one-third of the trip cost, you will receive a phone call from our office to confirm your Great White Shark Photography Expedition reservation and you will receive the Expedition Preparation Bulletin.

If you know someone who'd like to photograph Great White Sharks, you can e-mail this link to them.

All photographs by Amos Nachoum. Copyright © 2002. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.