For the past three years, great white shark sightings in South Africa have been quite uncertain. A quick Google search for ‘sharks in South Africa’ brings up countless articles and web pages theorising the absence of sharks in the once-popular False Bay region, and while it is true that the area has suffered a decline in daily sightings (an average of 0.3 per day, down from 11 per day in previous years), sightings in the Gansbaai region have remained rather steady.
While Gansbaai itself has experienced periods where fewer sharks were seen (notably during 2017, when a spate of unprecedented orca attacks took place), the sharks’ overall population has largely been unaffected. This is something which is evident when looking back at 2019: throughout most of the year, the team at The Great White Shark Project were successful in their sightings, with up to 92 sightings taking place in a single month. Below is a visual representation of the sharks spotted throughout the year, and while it is important to note that these sightings are representative of Gansbaai alone, it is clear that South Africa is still a fantastic place to see great white sharks – especially if you visit during the peak season (April-October)!
