White Shark / Wildlife / Whale Shark Dive Safari.
3 days cage diving with the Great White Sharks off Dyer Island / Geyser Rock.
2 Full days on safari in the Kruger National Park.
3 days / 6 dives on the tropical coral reefs off the coast of Mozambique.
Please note, the Great White Sharks as well as The Whale Sharks have not read this timetable and have no idea where they are meant to be and when!
Dive qualifications needed: OW1 or equivalent.
Where in the world, other than in southern Africa can you get to dive with the Great White Sharks, view lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo and then dive with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays, all in a 13 day period? This is exactly what this dive safari offers. This is also the perfect get-away for those divers who have a non-diving partner. The thrill of viewing the Great White’s from the deck of the dive boat, the excitement of viewing lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo in the wild from an open safari vehicle, and then the sun drenched white beaches of tropical Mozambique. This unique dive safari will entice your non-diving partner to join you on this unbelievable 23 days in Africa. For divers – no enticement required. Just your C card and the desire to experience only what southern Africa can offer.
At a time to be advised the previous evening, on your arrival at Saxon Lodge, you will be collected from Saxon Lodge by a representative of Dive The Big 5, for the 4.5kms or 10-minute road transfer to Kleinbaai Harbour, where we launch the dive boat. On arrival at White Shark Projects’ Dive Shop, in Kleinbaai, the crew will welcome you, and another continental breakfast is served. In Africa, you don’t starve! After the 2nd light breakfast you will be given a safely briefing by the skipper and crew, and you will then walk the 100 meters or so, and board the dive boat, Shark Team, a 36 ft custom-built Catamaran. Once all are aboard, the Shark Team is pushed, by the tractor, into the ocean, life jackets handed out, and off you go for the 20-minute boat ride to Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. Exactly where you will drop anchor depends solely on the Skipper & DM. Remember, they go daily, weather permitting, and they know where the best place is to drop anchor in order to get the best viewing. Shark Team will spend between 3-4 hours in the vicinity of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, looking for Great Whites. Shark Team accommodates a maximum of 20 divers and / or non-divers (surface viewers,) and 5-crew, including a videographer. As soon as the anchor has been dropped, the crew of Shark Team starts “chumming” in order to attract the Sharks to the boat. Chum can be likened to a “watery” fish soup, made up of mashed sardines, other fish, and fish-oil. The “bait,” attached to a long piece of rope, is then thrown into the water, and the idea of the bait is to hold the Sharks attention, after it was been attracted to the boat by the chum. As the Great White approached the “bait”, the crew draws the bait up, towards the cage, with the 6-divers in the cage. Quite a thrill. The idea is not to feed the Great White’s, so the crew try not to let the Great White get the “bait.” Once the shark swims away, the crew start all over again, trying to attract the Great Whites to the divers in the cage. And so it goes on…….. There are only 6-divers in the cage at any one time. The divers spend about 20-30 minutes in the cage, sharks permitting. Thereafter, the next group of 6-divers enter the cage, and so it goes on……..
After breakfast, at a time to be advised, you will be collected from Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel & Spa by a representative of Dive The Big 5 for the short 30-minute or 20kms road transfer to Cape Town International Airport in time to connect with your 2 hour domestic flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport – Nelspruit, own arrangements.
2 Full days on safari at Rhino Post. You will receive a phone call from reception, about 45 minutes before the safari / game drive is due to depart from the lodge, as your wake-up call. Coffee, tea, juice, rusks, muffins etc. will be served in the public area before you set off for your early morning safari / game drive in “open” 4×4, safari vehicles in the Kruger National Park. You will return to camp at around 09h00, depending on game activity, for brunch. The rest of the day is free to bird watch around camp, sit on your deck with a book, sit by the bar overlooking the water hole, or to relax by the pool until high tea which is served on the deck before departing on the afternoon / evening game drive / safari. Overnight at Rhino Post, in a Bush Suite, on a fully inclusive basis. All meals (Brunch, high tea & dinner) and game activities.
After the early morning game drive and brunch you will be collected from Rhino Post Safari Lodge, by Dive The Big 5, for the 2.5-hour return road transfer back to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, Nelspruit where you will connect with the 1 hour domestic flight back to OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg, own arrangements.
On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg you will walk the short distance to the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport which is situated within the airport complex. Overnight at the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport, on a bed and breakfast basis.
www.clhg.com and click on the City Lodge, O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.
Accommodation at the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport, on a bed and breakfast basis.
An early morning as you need to report at the LAM desk at OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg at 06h40, to check in for LAM’s flight TM312 to Maputo, which departs OR Tambo International Airport at 08h40. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the City Lodge, OR Tambo International, to the LAM check-in counter which is situated in the International Departures Hall at OR Tambo. On arrival at Maputo International Airport at 09h50, you will have a short lay-over until you check-in at 11h30, for LAM’s flight TM124 to Inhambane, which departs Maputo at 12h30, own arrangements. On arrival at Inhambane Airport at 14h50, and after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by a representative of Barra Beach Club for the 1-hour road transfer to the Resort. Rest of the afternoon / evening is free. Any additional activities and local touring would be for your own account. Overnight at Barra Beach Club, in a Deluxe Ocean Room, on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.
For purposes of costing this itinerary all dives are costed as being done on the near “house reefs”. There are surcharges for diving reefs 5 < 10 km’s from the launch site of MZN 300 per dive, and for diving reefs >10 km’s plus from the launch site of MZN 600 per dive (MZN = Mozambique Metical). These far reef dives can be booked directly with Barra Reef Divers and are dependent on a minimum number of divers wishing to dive these far reefs.
Pansy Island Trip (Minimum 6 people, at Low Tide) @ MZN 1 200 p/person.
Accommodation at Barra Beach Club, in a Deluxe Ocean Room, on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.
After breakfast, at about 12 noon, Barra Beach Club will transfer you back to Inhambane Airport in time to connect with your 14h00 flight TM126 from Inhambane to Maputo, own arrangements. Check-in for this flight is at 13h00. On arrival in Maputo at 16h25, you will immediately transfer to International Departures, to check-in for LAM’s flight TM315, to OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg, which departs Maputo at 17h20. You are scheduled to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg at 18h30. If you arrive at OR Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg too late to connect with your onward flight, we are again able to arrange accommodation for you at the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport, which is situated in the airport complex, on a bed and breakfast basis.
When diving anywhere in South Africa or Mozambique, please don’t expect to do more than 2 dives a day. By noon, along the entire east coast of southern Africa the wind tends to pick up quite a bit, causing white caps on the ocean and making diving conditions difficult and even dangerous. As all dives are drift dives, it’s very difficult for the skipper of the Rubber Duck to spot the buoy in rough conditions and even more difficult to spot individual divers as they surface after their dive. The first dive of the day is usually scheduled for sunrise with the second dive of the day being scheduled after surface interval time and breakfast, at about 10h30. By noon, when the wind has picked up, all dives for the day have been completed. If by chance there is no wind, then a 3rd or even 4th dive might be possible, but this is very unlikely. The wind tends to drop by about 17h00, and if it does, then there is the possibility of a night dive. But this can only be confirmed on the day, at about mid-afternoon.
Please note: The Kruger National Park falls within a “low risk” Malaria area, and Mozambique falls within a “high risk” Malaria area, and we strongly suggest that you consult your doctor about which is the best prophylactic to use to prevent contracting this disease.