Shark Experience - Shark Cage Diving — Local services in Invercargill City

It was always my dream to see a real “Great White Shark”, like the ones in the scary movies and pictures. But I know that this animal is mostly illustrated as a bloodhungry monster, which is absolute nonsense.

I saw a review on a diving-website and put the “Shark-Experience” on my bucket list for New Zealand. When I arrived down south it was a short way to Bluff and the Office at the harbour.

Office/Booking/Website: I walked into the Office and I felt very welcome, every question was answered in a lovely and friendly way, so I decided to book the trip 2 days later.

Temperature/Wheater: Due the temperature of the sea I was afraid of diving in the cage, so after the first minutes in the water I were surprised about how warm the 7mm longsuit was. It is absolutely no problem to dive for 1,5 – 2h without being undercooled. Maybe some girls will cold sooner, but you can add some underwear.

Boat: The boat is absolutely perfect for this trip, there are tables and enough space to put your stuff. There is big toilet including a shower, and higher deck for the better view and enjoying the sun. Its also possible to go in the front of the ship to change clothes. The staff is lovely and professional, big thanks to all of you, nothing to complain.

Sharks!!!!: Like the most people I was a little worried about to see the sharks in a proper way, like seeing them next to the cage, often and clear. They use a bait with a small buoy to attract the sharks and throw it into the water next to the cage. The sharks try to catch it, so they´re right on the surface. It´s an amazing moment when you see this huge, fantastic animal from the boat.

What you “experience” under water in the cage is absolutely awesome: Now I see these animals as the kings of the sea, their shape is perfectly streamlined, but at the same time muscular like a bull, fast like a spear if they want. We stayed at the dive-site for many hours, there were always between 1 and 3 great whites with us. For sure, they are interested in the bait, but you got the feeling they recognize you in the cage. Another cool things is, that the visibility changes during the day, so when it’s a little foggy, the will appear out of nowhere and try to get the bait. And they often got the bait.

I really recommend this tour, its something you can´t do at many places in the world and for sure it’s the only way to see these amazing creatures next to you. Bring your camera (waterproof) and you will get crazy videos...

An absolutely FANTASTIC day! Great team on board keeping us all safe, on a challenging day at sea! Crazy winds meant that we were unsure on whether our tour was going to go ahead at one point. The team assessed the wind/tide/weather regularly and was due to update us on any decisions made. They were so good at keeping everyone feeling comfortable, lighthearted and professional too, even though they hadn't had this happen this season and had to improvise the standard schedule. We cracked on with the safety talk and training whilst the decision was being made. You could clearly see that the team was really trying to get us in with the sharkys! We were given the all clear, and everyone was able to have a great dive, the sharks came right up close and one even bit the cage infront of me, incredible! Had a fair few metres visibility! Whilst you are down in the cage there is a rail to hold on to and foot hooks to keep you from moving about!

Never at any point did I feel unsafe, even though the cage was rocking incredibly in the water! Unfortunately it got so bad after 20 minutes that we were pulled from the water and made our way back to port to ensure everyone was safe. That was the right call at that time! (Changed dramatically) Once we arrivied back at bluff, we had our lunch on board which was usually served out at sea, handed some certificates and said our goodbyes!

Feedback: we had someone who spoke very little English, which made it challenging for the crew on board. It delayed our start to training ( knock on effect for the dive). I would suggest this being sorted when booking, because the passenger seemed very confused and potentially could be a danger to herself and to others ( The crew dealt with this the VERY best they could ) and she was not allowed to dive.

Great day, great team having faced many challenges! Your all amazing. Thankyou so so much! Fully reccomend! Id do it all again! 😁 🦈...

This was a bucket list goal of mine, which I'm so glad I got to tick off! Nikki was wonderful to talk with in the morning and was super friendly and helpful, and the crew (Mike, Macca, and Jordan) were great. The forecast was different to what we actually got, but thankfully wasn't too bad, and we were treated to the most amazing sunrise on our way out to the dive spot.

We had two sharks turn up pretty much as soon as we'd done the regulator training, and they were stunning to watch. It was pretty rough in the cage (thank you unexpectedly rough conditions), but well worth being tossed around a bit to see these apex predators. Any other day I'd celebrate seeing dolphins so close - but as they scared the sharks off (apex predators, but only when the dolphins aren't around...) we ended up heading to shelter to wait out the passing weather cell.

Kudos to the crew, after we returned to the spot it took three hours for them to lure another shark in, and they didn't give up - sadly it didn't hang around for long, and it headed back to shore. It was a bit disappointing, but that's nature for you. I fully intend to do the dive again, when it's a bit warmer, and I'll be dragging my dad along with me! The only negative comment I have is it's a pity the screen wasn't working on board (due to a shark having a munch on the camera a few weeks before) - we had a day tripper, and unfortunately for her she didn't get to see much as they weren't really near the surface most of the time. As my grandma now wants to do the day trip with me (!!), I'll be making sure to ask before the day if it's working to ensure it's worth bringing her along.

Thanks again guys, it was an...