“I went on the AirJaws trip last month July with African Shark Eco-Charters and had a great time! The weather hadn’t been great for a few days and I was worried about cancellation, but luckily the trip went as planned. The waters were still a bit rough, but the staff really did a great job to make the trip a wonderful experience for everyone. We did have a few seasick people, so I recommend taking some sort of tablet prior to arriving in Simon’s Town so you don’t spend your trip feeling miserable. I was fine thankfully.

I had a lot of time in the cage and saw some huge Great White sharks. The wetsuits provided kept us nice and warm in the winter waters, which I had not been expecting, and they were in great condition. Having the regulator so I didn’t have to hold my breath was a huge plus as I could really look around and get a feel for these amazing animals from every angle, including underneath the cage. We never missed the shark coming by since we were constantly underwater, and I even got to see some jelly fish while hanging out underwater. It was also great to only have two people in the cage as it never felt too crowded.
In addition to the cage diving portion of the trip I was able to see a few sharks come out of the water, including one jump fully out of the water just in front of the boat which I had really been hoping for! I know the staff has nothing to do with making the sharks come close or jump since they are wild animals, but it was still quite cool to experience. One of the shark did come up on the decoy, which was cool as well.
The staff was also really helpful about giving the group information about sharks and their behaviors as well as information about Seal Island and the wildlife there. They also provided good snacks and sandwiches during the trip which was nice. In addition to all the fun stuff we got to see and do there was a lot of beautiful scenery to look at since you are in a bay. The sunrise was amazing and Seal Island is a beautiful sight. Overall it was an excellent trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat!”

Visited July 2013  “Spent years planning to do it, now I can’t wait to go back!” Reviewed August 21, 2013 NEW

“Diving with great whites always seemed like one of those things that “other” people did to me. You had to have special skills or know somebody who knew somebody. But then I discovered a thriving industry centered around this very thing, and anyone could do it!

I started planning and researching six years ago! And finally last year, I made the reservations. ASEC was the company for me, and it was proven time and again by their always courteous staff who answered my email inquiries in a timely and professional manner (no matter how inane or bothersome my questions might have been), to doing everything they could to reschedule my trip that was delayed due to inclement weather.
The crew is knowledgeable and friendly, and even though they see it (nearly) every day, you can tell they they all still get as much of a thrill out of seeing the sharks as you do.
As I said, I spent a lifetime wishing it was something I could do, six years planning to do it once I found out that I could and after all of that, I can’t imagine that anyone could have done a better job at helping me live my dream as ASEC.”

Visited July 2013

Join us on one of our shark diving and “Airjaws” shark breaching trips to witness this spectacular breaching behaviour of the Great White Sharks. This is certainly something that you do not want to miss!

Here is some further information on our Great White Shark breaching trips.

We would consider our high season to be from May to end of August and the best months for the predation and breaching activity is during June, July and August. September is in between high and intermediate season. February and March is too early for breaching. Here our trips focus on the shark cage diving and surface viewing.

Transfers: Optional: Return transfers from designated pickup points in Cape Town

Duration: Approx 5.5 hours. The trip departs from Simon’s town at 7am sharp and returns at 12h30.

Here are some very important questions to ask when choosing a shark diving operator. Sadly many people don’t ask and then regret it later.

How many passengers on your boat? 12. We focus on smaller groups to ensure that everyone has a personal experience with the great white sharks.

How many divers in the shark cage? 2 maximum. Many operators take 5-8 guests at a time.

Do you offer scuba? Yes. All diving equipment is supplied. No diving experience is necessary however you are welcome to snorkel as well. Most operators only allow you to hold your breath, seriously!

Does using scuba affect the sharks coming to the boat? No.  If it did we would not do it! Working in False Bay since 1996, we have found that the bubbles or scuba noise have no effect on the great white sharks. Most operators don’t like to work with scuba as re-filling tanks is a bother and they don’t want to do it.

Do you use shark liver to attract sharks? No

What to bring on your shark diving AIRJAWS trip

• Rain/wind jacket
• Sun block and Hat
• Camera (we sell disposable underwater camera’s)
• Take sea sick tablets

Please Note: We have a very high success rate, however with all wild animals, shark sightings, activity, predation events and shark breaching can vary from day to day. Even during peak season there may be days when we do not see any great white shark breaching or predatory events.

Please be aware of this, so you do not arrive with unrealistic expectations. Rather come hoping to see these natural events, than expecting. No refunds will be made for non-sightings. We will however offer you a voucher for another trip.

We hope to see you join one of our spectacular shark diving AIRJAWS trips!

We went out with ASEC for an AIRJAWS dive in mid-June and it was absolutely the highlight of our 3 week trip in South Africa. Captain Rob and his crew are passionate, enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable about the Great Whites and they will do everything in their powers to ensure the best possible experience for your dive trip.

Weather can be a problem in False Bay and cause trip cancelations, so I would suggest scheduling your dive trip early on in your stay so if necessary, you could go another day. Two days before our scheduled trip I got an email letting us know the conditions were not looking good for our trip and ASEC would know for sure the following day. The next day I got a call from Tamsyn who works in the office and our trip was in fact canceled. She went over the rescheduling or canceling options with us, and was also very honest in letting us know that shark sightings had not been too good recently. Tamsyn’s honesty was appreciated; however, we were still hopeful and rescheduled our trip for the next day.

ASEC offers transfers from Cape Town but we chose to drive ourselves as we had a rental car. We arrived right on time for our 7 am departure and Captain Rob, the crew and the other divers were ready to go. I did a lot of research on different dive companies both in Simon’s Town and Gaansbai and some of the things that really stood out with ASEC from the others was the focus on small groups (max 12 people), only 2 divers in the cage at a time, and most importantly, ASEC uses regulator breathing so you don’t have to pop up and down in the cage to catch your breath.

We had a small group of divers, only 5 and everyone got at least one turn in the cage and more if they desired (I went in 3 times!). We had 5 different sharks up to the boat; I couldn’t believe how lucky we were. During my last turn in the cage, I had quite the thrill when a Great White seemingly came out of nowhere and gave the cage a good head-butt. To be able to observe and learn about these fascinating creatures was a dream come true, and a memory I will treasure forever. Thank you Rob and the entire crew for sharing your knowledge and passion for the Great Whites, we hope to see you again whenever we are able to return to South Africa.

Visited June 2012

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g319718-d1887135-r147847429-African_Shark_Eco_Charters-Simon_s_Town_Western_Cape.html#REVIEWS

Join us on one of our “Airjaws” shark breaching trips to witness this spectacular breachingbehaviour of the Great White Sharks. This is certainly something that you do not want to miss!

Here is some further information on our Great White Shark breaching trips.

We would consider our high season to be from May to end of August and the best months for the predation and breaching activity is during June, July and August. September is in between high and intermediate season. February and March is too early for breaching. Here our trips focus on the shark cage diving and surface viewing.

Transfers: Optional: Return transfers from designated pickup points in Cape Town

Duration: Approx 5.5 hours. The trip departs from Simon’s town at 7am sharp and returns at 12h30.

Here are some very important questions to ask when choosing a great white shark operator. Sadly many people don’t ask and then regret it later.

How many passengers on your boat? 12. We focus on smaller groups to ensure that everyone has a personal experience with the great white sharks.

How many divers in the shark cage? 2 maximum. Many operators take 5-8 guests at a time.

Do you offer scuba? Yes. All diving equipment is supplied. No diving experience is necessary however you are welcome to snorkel as well. Most operators only allow you to hold your breath, seriously!

Does using scuba affect the sharks coming to the boat? No.  If it did we would not do it! Working in False Bay since 1996, we have found that the bubbles or scuba noise have no effect on the great white sharks. Most operators don’t like to work with scuba as re-filling tanks is a bother and they don’t want to do it.

Do you use shark liver to attract sharks? No

What to bring on your shark breaching AIRJAWS trip

• Rain/wind jacket
• Sun block and Hat
• Camera (we sell disposable underwater camera’s)
• Take sea sick tablets

Please Note: We have a very high success rate, however with all wild animals, shark sightings, activity, predation events and shark breaching can vary from day to day. Even during peak season there may be days when we do not see any great white shark breaching or predatory events.

Please be aware of this, so you do not arrive with unrealistic expectations. Rather come hoping to see these natural events, than expecting. No refunds will be made for non-sightings. We will however offer you a voucher for another trip.

We hope to see you join one of our spectacular AIRJAWS trips!

Reviewed August 6, 2012

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g319718-d1887135-r136414018-African_Shark_Eco_Charters-Simon_s_Town_Western_Cape.html#REVIEWS