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Shark Alley Gansbaai
Dive site · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
54Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: Sea 0.6 m, Visibility under 5 m, Water 18 °C
Mon 2 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 23knboats in
- Air
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 22 kn
- Gusts
- 28knboats in
- Air
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 40 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 18°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 166, good
- Mon 260, good
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 529, poor
- Fri 622, poor
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 840, poor
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1060, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 11 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 18 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces Wswell from there reaches it
- Best Dec–Feb7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 66, good | 1.1 m | 4 kn | 5kn | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 60, good | 1.0 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 0.9 m | 10 kn | 12kn | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 0.6 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, poor | 1.0 m | 17 kn | 23knboats in | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, poor | 1.2 m | 22 kn | 28knboats in | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 1.2 m | 7 kn | 16kn | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 40, poor | 1.3 m | 20 kn | 25kn | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 0.8 m | 9 kn | 17kn | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 0.5 m | 13 kn | 17kn | 18°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:11 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:07 −0.3 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:44 −0.3 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 16:03 −0.3 mHigh 22:07 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:46 +0.5 mLow 17:30 −0.5 mHigh 23:32 +0.4 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Dec–Feb
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Shark Alley Gansbaai on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Shark Alley Gansbaai
A sand dive. It goes down to 11 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces W: swell from the W reaches it, and wind from the E blows out to sea. 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.7 km away. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). For Advanced divers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 7 good days in 7; in June and August, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gansbaai. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
- What it is Sand.
- How deep Down to 11 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.7 km away.
Water about 18°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jul (about 7 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,230–US$2,430 each
about US$1,230–US$2,430 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,430 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Gansbaai
3 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Gansbaai its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 27h 50m
About 27h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Gansbaai · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Gansbaai · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Shark Diving Unlimited 1.7 km
Great White Shark Tours cc 1.7 km
White Shark Diving Company 1.8 km
Shark Alley Divers 1.8 km
White Shark Projects 1.8 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 15 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.