Great white sharks scarcity in Gansbaai January 2016

Great white sharks scarcity in Gansbaai January 2016

Marine Dynamics Shark Tours

On January 1st 2016, after an incredible December, white shark sightings began to slow down in Gansbaai. Cage diving operators are returning from sea reporting no sightings of white sharks despite extensive attempts to find them, for over a week. There are eight companies each trying different parts of the bay daily. Many speculative statements get thrown about whenever drops in the shark’s numbers occur. Therefore, we have attempted to address some real possibilities...

Seasonality: December, January and February are generally quieter months in terms of white shark numbers in Gansbaai. Even though viewing is possible year round the overall number of sightings per trip is usually the lowest. Tagging and boat based data show there are less white sharks around in Western Cape waters, particularly later in summer.

Environmental conditions: We are currently in the middle of a major ‘El Nino’ event, just looking at the floods in Europe and droughts elsewhere one can see that climate conditions are abnormal. As a result, ocean temperatures are warmer along many coasts. This may well alter the prey species distribution for white sharks and thus they follow them into other areas. Just last week Sun fish, Trevally and various other warm water species were reported in Gansbaai. We know the strength of climatic phase varies (ENSO index) which may influence white shark numbers and sexual composition significantly. Warmer water temperatures may be preferentially selected by female white sharks due to higher growth rate demands for breeding. Also rapid drops in water temperature can be thermally stressful for many species, in the space of three days sea surface temperature dropped from 19 °C to 11°C in Gansbaai!

Read more here

Great white sharks scarcity in Gansbaai January 2016

Alison Towner

Marine Dynamics Shark Tours is an award-winning ecotourism and marine company in Gansbaai, South Africa. Dedicated to delivering outstanding marine experiences while preserving the environment, Marine Dynamics Shark Tours specialises in thrilling shark cage diving and Marine Big 5 tours in the area ...

View Profile

What is Xplorio?

Xplorio is your local connection allowing you to find anything and everything about a town.

Watch the Gansbaai Video
Read More

Other Articles

Daily Blog: 18 November 2024

Daily Blog: 18 November 2024

Today, we were treated to warm, calm weather out at sea, making for a fantastic day!

Last Week's Marine Sightings

Last Week's Marine Sightings

Check out what we spotted last week.

White Shark Projects
Daily Blog: 11 November 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

Daily Blog: 11 November 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

A beautiful day on the water for divers and guests on board Slashfin today!

Daily Blog: 26 October 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

Daily Blog: 26 October 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

With the sun shining throughout the day and temperatures rising, guests got to experience the refreshing Atlantic temperatures...

Fun Facts About Sevengill Cow Sharks

Fun Facts About Sevengill Cow Sharks

Is this not just the most smiley little shark you have ever seen?

White Shark Projects
Daily Blog: 21 October 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

Daily Blog: 21 October 2024 | Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

An early start welcomed the first adventurous divers of the day! Just minutes after launching, we spotted our first wildlife.

See All Articles