Gansbaai

Gansbaai is a plain fishing town on the Overberg coast whose reputation was built on the channel between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, a few kilometres offshore, where a large seal colony drew white sharks in numbers and made this the world centre of cage diving from the 1990s. The industry is still here and still runs, but what it shows has changed: since around 2017 a pair of orcas that prey on white sharks has moved along this coast and white shark sightings at Gansbaai have collapsed, so operators now most often encounter bronze whaler and copper sharks instead. Reputable boats say so before you board; ask directly. The trip is worth taking on its own terms - the channel, the seals, the birds on Dyer Island, and southern right whales close in from June to November. Land-based alternatives include the cliff path and De Kelders caves.

History

Klipgat Cave near De Kelders holds the earliest evidence of Khoi herders in the Western Cape, and people of Khoi descent built fishing cottages under the milkwoods at Stanfords Bay in 1811. Local tradition says the town was founded in 1881 by the young fisherman Johannes Cornelis Wessels and named after the Egyptian geese at a spring, and the Danger Point lighthouse was built in 1895 (Wikipedia, Gansbaai).

The main sights

• The channel - the water between Dyer Island and its seal colony on Geyser Rock.
• What actually turns up - bronze whalers more often than white sharks since about 2017.
• Dyer Island - a seabird colony including African penguins.
• Southern right whales - close inshore between June and November.

When to go

June to November for whales; the boats run all year. A day, with an early start.

Things to know

White shark sightings are no longer reliable here - operators who promise them are overselling. Trips are cancelled in swell and the boats are rough on many days. Cage water is cold. The cage diving industry itself is contested on ethical grounds.

Nearby

Hermanus and its cliff path are west; De Kelders caves are just north.

Key facts