The first time I heard about cage diving with Great Whites in New Zealand was at the dive shop that Mom and I have worked with a few times in Auckland. One of the guides mentioned it, and I was immediately super interested, even more so when I learned it was relatively close to an area we would already be visiting. With how much I mentioned wanting to do it, I’m not surprised Mom and Dad got it for me as a birthday present, but I appreciate it tons regardless.
Cage diving is very much a full day activity. For anyone who is curious, Bluff is the name of the town. We arrived at the shop in town at around 7AM to find most of the other people were already there. There was a bit of paperwork, and once that was done and everyone had arrived the lady at the counter gave us a brief rundown of what to expect. After that, the group headed across the street to the dock, where our boat was already waiting. The drive to the viewing area was fairly quick, and as soon as the anchor dropped we were preparing to get in the water. Mom and I cost less, because we are dive certified, but Aleah and Dad aren’t, so in addition to costing a tiny bit more, they had to go through a quick training course on the boat to acquaint them with the regulator. We were in quite a hurry to get our wetsuits and other equipment on, because only a couple minutes after we arrived, the first shark showed up.
I was one of the first people in the water. The cage could only hold four people at a time, due to the limited space and foot loops to make sure you stayed with the cage when the boat rocked in the waves. I was very cold getting in, and still cold for what felt like a long time after, but I immediately forgot all about that when I saw the first shark. It was a truly amazing experience, I’ve never felt anything like it. The water visibility was quite good, but despite their enormous size, great whites are incredibly sneaky. I never noticed it until it was swimming right past, almost close enough to touch, although I’m not dumb enough to stick my hand out of the cage. I went in three times, each for about ten minutes, and although some of the awe wore off, it was still amazing seeing these giant sharks glide so gracefully through the water, appearing and disappearing seemingly at will. For the most part, they were content with swimming around the cage, seemingly very curious about what the heck we were. One of their favorite things was to swim head on at the cage, them swerve to the side at the last second, giving me a great view of their surprisingly clean teeth. Occasionally, one would snap at the tuna head that the boat was throwing out into the water to attract them, but they never managed to actually get it.
Shark diving was even better than I hoped. I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to get to do this absolutely incredible experience, and see those amazing animals. If I could do it again, I absolutely would (although maybe in warmer water).
Sounds incredible!