Capetown & area

Old Apr 27th, 2012, 08:43 AM
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Capetown & area

After a tour to Namibia in September, my friend and I are doing 4 nights in Capetown. We are seriously thinking of going up to Hermanus for a day--for whale watching, and possibly the shark cage diving. Wondering if we should stay overnight in Hermanus, or if it would be easy to do in a day trip from Cape Town. Also--I'm looking for some opinions on the shark cage diving experience. Not sure if I'm brave enough to do it.
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Old Apr 27th, 2012, 08:53 AM
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Another question: to take or not to take a township tour?
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Old Apr 27th, 2012, 12:37 PM
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I heard the town of Gansbii is the best for shark diving. it is along the garden route.
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Old Apr 27th, 2012, 01:18 PM
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Thanks, Bikini. Do you know anyone who has actually done it?
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Old Apr 27th, 2012, 03:43 PM
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Don't do it. Worst day of my life! Just kidding haha. I went to Gansbaii to see the sharks and it was great but I got so sick! I wanted to die!
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Old Apr 28th, 2012, 02:47 PM
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Cape Town is a wonderful place to spend 4 days as there is so much to see and do. I would do one day down at the Cape of Good Hope with a stop at Boulders Beach with the penquin colony (truly magical).Do a day touring around the city possibly doing the on/off bus with its two routes to really see the city-you pick it up by the aquarium.Be sure to include a trip up to Table Mountain and the Green Market.Do another day trip over to the wine country-Stellenbosch, and Franschoeck are great places to try a few wineries.
We went to Hermanus for several days on that trip and enjoyed the city and beaches.We did do the whale trip but no shark cage diving-my daughter is a marine scientist and there are many many reasons why those trips are NOT a good idea but will not go into it.
Cape Town is one of my favorite places in the world so enjoy!
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Old Apr 29th, 2012, 03:06 PM
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kameo903,
No sorry i dont know of anyone who has done it. I have wanted to and everytime i read abour cage diving,hat town comes up.
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Old Apr 29th, 2012, 03:09 PM
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Thanks for the info. mcbg, I assume you were seasick? That is something that concerns me. When a boat is just sitting in waves, I also will get seasick pretty quickly.

Dutyfree, I would like to hear more about why the shark-cage diving is not a good idea. I've heard that it changes their natural behavior for one. Can you tell me more?

Thanks for the other tips. We will probably not do Stellenbosch because we have been to numerous vineyards in California--and in the interests of time. I definitely want to do the whale-watching. Did you see many whales on your trip?
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Old Apr 29th, 2012, 06:21 PM
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The area around Cape Town and Southern Africa is known for its great white sharks.There are numerous stories through the decades of people who never returned from their swims,etc.
Throwing chum into the water to attrack the sharks and stir them up is against everything that marine scientists believe.
Yes it does change their natural behavior.

I would recommend the whale trip in Hermanus instead and yes we did have a whale actually stay next to our boat for over an hour-it was unbelievable and the captain said he had never seen it before.It will be a long day driving over and back in my opinion so if there is a chance to spend the night I would.

If you have some time,I would recommend a special place that is located between Paarl and Stellenbosch that is called the Drakenstein Lion Park. It was started in the 1990's as a place that captive bred lions (who cannot be sent back to the wild) live out their lives-think Romanian circuses,bad zoos,etc.They are out roaming in the wild with special names and biographies about their lives. You are only separated by a wire fence so photo opportunities are abundant.The owners have prided themselves on taking these beautiful creatures out of their misery of cages and small spaces so that they can be where they are supposed to be.They have a feeding of raw chickens at 4pmish and it is amazing!Both of my adult kids and myself enjoyed the stop.
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Old Apr 30th, 2012, 01:09 AM
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I just want to clarify some points, Gansbaai is approx 2 hours drive from Cape Town & you have to leave before 6am so it is best to stop in this area the night before. This is not on the Garden Route, that starts further up. Hermanus is a small town not a city. During the month of September the town has a whole week long 'whale festival' it can take up to an hour just to get into the town from the outskirts so I would avoid if during this period. The whales are protected by law, the boats should stay at least 50 metres away from them. Should you go to this area I recommend you take the coastal road as on this route is another lesser known penguin colony, a botanical garden, more chances to see whales, eagles in this area and the king protea national flower.

Whilst Hermanus is said to be the best place to get close up land-based, there are also other really good spots, check the tide times for False Bay, at Glencairn when the tide is in they are very close just feet away also at Clovelly there is a walkway amongst the rocks & here you often get wet from a whale blow ! Another great spot is out the back of the Brass Bell pub in Kalk Bay. These 3 towns follow on from one another the next town is Simon's Town where the penguins are. You may also find a whale tour in this town. All are on the route to Cape Point & the Cape of Good Hope. Near to the point there are baboons, make sure car doors are locked otherwise you will get an extra passenger !

I'm not sure if the Drakenstein Lion park is still open ? Also in this area is Wiesenhof wildlife park, get there before 11am & then in your car follow the truck that takes food to the animals. Again check before hand that it is open. Should you go up this way you go through a toll tunnel but on way back take the old road as there are monkeys here, I forget which type.
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Old Apr 30th, 2012, 09:28 AM
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Take a drive to gansbaai via the winelands finish up at grootbos in the evening. Head out on their 07h00 departure for the sharks, return to the lodge for lunch, then go out on a tour with one of their staff to his township... finish up with a walk through Green Futures project - spend the night at GB, press on the next day. It will be the most meaningful 48 hours of your life.
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Old Apr 30th, 2012, 06:07 PM
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Thanks, everyone, for all the good advice. Just wish we had more time in the area so we could do it all!
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Old May 1st, 2012, 05:00 AM
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If you do the shark cage-diving, make sure to take some seasickness pills. I didn't and I was so sick, I couldn't even get up to put on the wet suit to into the water. Two of us spent 5 hours laying down on the side of the boat. I'm still glad I saw some sharks from the boat but I wish I had been able to get into the water haha. It took 2 days for my stomach to settle down.
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Old May 1st, 2012, 01:11 PM
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I sympathize! I don't often get seasick, but when in a boat which is sitting in one place, I tend to start feeling queasy quickly. Was the water really rough when you went out--or just normal waves? And the cage-diving takes about 5 hours?
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Old May 1st, 2012, 01:18 PM
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Does anyone know the approximate cost of a taxi from the airport to Blackheath Lodge--just a little further than downtown Cape Town?
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Old May 19th, 2012, 11:50 AM
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hello Kameo 903

You can quite happily do the shark cage diving trip in a day but in order to not get up so early and then drive through to Gaansbaai I would suggest staying at a great self catering place called Stone House Lodge the night before and then driving the short distance to 'White shark Projects' for your cage diving experience. Read their site and see what they have to say bout shark cage diving. They do more than just diving, plenty of research also.
For whale watching I would recommend Hermanus new harbour to Southern Right Charters and if you require accommodation in Hermanus use 'The Potting Shed'. That leaves 2 days still in Cape Town, so would definitely recommend doing a Cape Peninsula trip and possibly Robben Island or a fixed wing charter flight around the Cape Peninsula.
If you require anymore information, please let me know. I live in Cape town and have done so all my life and have been in the touring industry since 2001.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 11:52 AM
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Kameo903
Almost forgot, I would highly recommend the shark cage diving - its absolutely fantastic. done it myself.
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Old May 19th, 2012, 11:55 AM
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A transfer from Cape Town to Blackheath Lodge would be ZAR 280.00 using an operator whose vehicle has the required permits and insurances and the driver has a PrDP (professional drivers permit).
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Old May 23rd, 2012, 03:13 PM
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Thanks for all your input, Allan. We decided to stay in Hermanus for the night, as you suggested. That way, everything won't be so rushed. We have already booked a night at the Misty Waves Hotel, which is close to town but also has a view. My friend is doing the shark cage dive, and I am doing a whale watch cruise. I decided against the sharks after reading a couple other personal experiences. For me, seeing the sharks up close and personal probably wouldn't be worth the discomfort and expense. But I'd love to go out and get close to some of those whales!
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