During the winter months of April to September the great white sharks typically congregate around the cape fur seal colonies which make up their winter prey. From September to March each year the great white sharks seem to experience a change of choice in prey and tend to focus mainly on other species of sharks and migratory fish that are found close to shore. As the movement of the great white shark is fairly well understood in South Africa they can be found year round enabling shark tourists good viewing opportunities no matter the time of year.
The winter months do offer the best water visibility conditions so bear this in mind if you are flexible with your travel! Average water visibility is 5 meters.
Also keep in mind that winter offers the best opportunities to witness the famous breaching Great white shark behaviour. This behaviour takes places on a frequent basis at Seal Island in False Bay. Here up to 700 predatory events on cape fur seals are recorded each season and this gives a realistic chance to those visiting Seal Island between April and September of witnessing this spectacular behaviour.
