In South Africa’s waters just a few years ago, an experience like mine of seeing white sharks in the wild in their natural habitat was possible daily, and multiple times per day. Now, it’s becoming less frequent. A 2024 study from the Oceans Research Institute showed a 90 percent loss of tracked white sharks between 2019 and 2024.
Because of this, the wildlife tourism industry had to reinvent itself, creating a new, broader marine experience. Simultaneously, it created a global call for environmental action to protect sharks, much like the push to save African rhinos that gained global attention in the 1990s.
Where did South Africa’s white sharks go?
A white shark as soon through a diving cage in South Africa. Photo: Holger Kirk/Shutterstock
The answer, sadly, may be nowhere. White sharks may just be disappearing. That’s the sense tour operators and conservationists have in places like Gansbaai Village and False Bay, both well-known coastal locations for shark cage diving near Cape Town, where the Atlantic and the Indian oceans merge.
Biologists have reported going from 15 to 20 white shark sightings on a daily basis to counting on sheer luck to catch sight of just one the whole day. That’s the experience shared by Mary Rowlinson, marine biologist at the Shark and Marine Research Institute, in the 2024 documentary The Last Shark. The documentary warns of the decreasing Carcharodon carcharias (white shark) numbers, and set off alarm bells in the scientific community for the speed at which it suggested numbers are dropping.
What caused such a sharp decline in the great white shark population in the area? Many threats, but the most often cited are illegal fishing and the controversial setting of shark nets and drumlines. The latter are devices put in water to reduce the probability of shark attacks, which have been placed around the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal region for decades. It’s a strategy called the “bather protection program.”
Because of this, the South African great white shark cage diving industry had to look for a different approach. “We immediately shifted our marketing from ‘white shark cage diving’ to simply ‘shark diving,’” says Wilfred Chivell, managing director of Gansbaai-based Marine Dynamics. “This change helps highlight the variety of shark species our guests can encounter, rather than focusing on just one.”
The majority decided to come clean and stressed that, in spite of this phenomenon, other shark species are still present in large numbers, like Carcharhinus brachyurus — the bronze whaler shark. And they emphasize that while finding white sharks is the goal, it’s not always a reality.
How South Africa is adapting to protect tourism and sharks
Bronze whaler sharks and dolphins feeding on sardines in South Africa. Photo: wildestanimal/Shutterstock
Is adaptation enough to keep the shark diving industry alive? Not entirely, according to some local operators. Excursion bookings dropped drastically between 2014 and 2024, says Samantha Hansen, managing director of the Shark and Marine Research Institute. “Across the industry, we estimate there’s been a 20 to 30 percent drop in bookings over the past few years,” she says.
While COVID is partially to blame, she says the decline in white shark sightings also played a major role. She also points to illegal fishing, poor protection in marine reserves, and “outdated practices” like shark nets and drumlines. Natural predation by orcas also played a role, like the now-famous Port and Starboard: a pair of adult male orcas notable for preying on great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.
Hansen is also the marketing director at White Shark Diving Company, a leading shark diving tour operator in Gansbaai. She estimates that in the absence of great white sharks, they lose about 50 confirmed bookings per year when potential guests “learn about the decline in white shark sightings during our pre-trip correspondence.”
“We choose to be fully transparent and manage expectations early, so visitors don’t feel misled,” she says. “Thankfully, many travelers remain incredibly supportive and still choose to join us.”
It’s clear from both Chivell and Hansen that the solution has to be two-fold: orienting the cage dive offerings to a broader, more educational and ecological approach, while also putting strong pressure on the government and public to preserve these amazing animals, which are, above anything else, essential in the ecosystem.
An ongoing challenge for the industry
Tourists entering a shark cage in South Africa. Photo: Nico Calandra/Shutterstock
Chivell also provided his insight on the sharks’ decline. “In 2016, the industry took out around 85,000 people on shark cage diving trips,” he says. “By 2024, that number had dropped to about 28,000, mainly because of the misconception that we have no sharks.”
Hansen echoes the thought that there are still plenty of other sharks left to see. “Bronze whaler sharks often arrive in schools and are highly curious and interactive,” she says. “They’ve provided us with truly unforgettable diving encounters, alongside broadnose sevengill cow sharks, and many other fascinating marine species.”
Chivell agrees that many visitors “are blown away and leave with a deep appreciation” of the wildlife in general. That’s even true for travelers from the United States, who are often “influenced by Discovery Shark Week” and are “focused on seeing white sharks specifically.” Each tour from Marine Dynamics also includes a visit to the area’s African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, where guests learn about seabird conservation and rehabilitation.
Nets, orcas, and a controversy at a dead end
Beachgoers at Gordon’s Bay, on South Africa’s False Bay. Photo: Ahturner/Shutterstock
The documentary The Last Shark exposes the dark side of nets and drumlines installed since 1952 on the tourist beaches of KwaZulu-Natal. In the documentary, one activist refers to them as “curtains of death.” Between 1978 and 2000, shark nets along South Africa’s beaches killed 28,687 large sharks, plus thousands of rays, dolphins, turtles, and whales. This destabilized the marine ecosystem and at the heart of South Africa’s marine tourism.
Some tour operators, researchers, and activists put blame on the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB), which is responsible for the “bather protection program,” which uses nets and drumlines to reduce human-shark encounters. “The Sharks Board remains resistant to change, largely tied to financial interests,” Hansen says. She’d like to see the board make changes, but it would have a cost. “Shifting away from that model would mean redirecting resources into testing and implementing modern, non-lethal alternatives.”
Chivell agrees the nets and drumlines are a problem, saying “blaming the two orcas oversimplifies the situation. Our sharks are being brutally caught in outdated nets and drumlines. More than 1,000 white sharks have been killed in these nets over the years.”
Shark nets are put just below the waterline to prevent sharks from entering designated swimming areas (as shown here in Australia). Photo: John Carnemolla/Shutterstock
But the official story fully contradicts that view. In a statement for this story, Matt Dicken, acting head of research for KZNSB, says he believes research that points to orcas for keeping other species away. He also notes this is primarily an issue in the Western Cape, but not necessarily in other areas of South Africa.
Dicken claims that protection devices have “reduced the incidence of unprovoked shark attacks” in KwaZulu-Natal. It’s a program he describes as vital, as beach tourism is a major draw in the region. The bather protection programs “provide public confidence in beach safety,” he says.
Activists have proposed other ways to keep beaches safe, such as surveillance with binoculars, automatic drones, acoustic receivers, and electric deterrence. Dicken says the Sharks Board “is constantly investigating the potential to use any non-lethal alternates,” but that none are suitable for use along the region’s coasts.
How travelers can get involved
Photo: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
Those who travel to South Africa can get involved in protecting great white sharks, part of the country’s natural heritage at risk of disappearing as we know it.
The most accessible way to be part of the solution, from anywhere on the planet, is to join a campaign for change. A petition launched collaboratively in late 2023 by a coalition of concerned organizations and citizens demands more sustainable alternatives of protection than shark nets and drumlines.
Another option is to become a volunteer with shark research in Cape Town, a program targeted to students and researchers but open to anyone. The research and conservation program receives between 50 and 60 international collaborators a year, mainly from the US, United Kingdom, Europe, and Brazil, as well as South Africans. Volunteers work with biologists to tag and monitor species, clean beaches, and support the scientists’ studies. You don’t need previous experience, just passion for the ocean and its diversity.
Choosing to dive with licensed companies that don’t use harmful baiting techniques, such those mentioned in this article, also makes a difference and helps fund shark protection. Baiting is controversial, since it can change the sharks’ normal feeding behavior and teach them to associate humans with food — one of many reasons to choose reputable shark tourism options.
Here’s a quick way to decide: if the company seems to push a certain shark sighting over and above teaching its guests about marine ecology and conservation, take that as an alert sign. As it so often is, the fate of these vulnerable ecosystems relies on responsible travel. That moment of awe in the cage means little if the species vanishes. The fate of these controlled encounters depends in part on how much travelers who care about the species chip in. 