Sand Tiger Sharks
In South Africa, you can spot sand
tiger sharks at the Protea Banks. From Cape Town you can reach Durban
in about 2 days by car. In addition to bull sharks, black tip sharks,hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks. You will find the sand tiger
shark on the northern side of the Protea Banks from June to November.
Sand Tiger Sharks - South Africa diving trips - Cape Town shark diving at the Cape
Our diving trips at a glance:
- 5 nights with half board
- 4 days of scuba diving
- Boat provisions: water, fruit juices,
cookies, chocolate and sandwiches
- Rates: from ZAR 31,900
- Extension
day: from ZAR 7,800
Requirement for booking:
- Recreational divers should have an
AOWD diving license
- Dives: minimum of 25 dives
During the respective shark season you
can watch the sand tiger sharks on one hectare, which is about the
size of a football field. From June to November they can mainly be
seen on the north side of the Protea Banks. Sometimes you can watch
over 200 sharks who seek their peace and protection in underwater
caves, valleys and ditches.
Sand tiger shark profile - Sand tiger
shark
- Family: sand sharks (Odontaspididae)
- Genus: Carcharias
- Class: Cartilaginous fish
(Chondrichthyes)
- Subclass: plate gill (Elasmobranchii)
- Superordinate: Real Sharks
(Galeomorphii)
- Order: mackerel shark-like
(Lamniformes)
- Latin name: Carcharias taurus
- Age in evolution: 400 million years
- English names: sand tiger shark, gray
nurse shark, blue-nurse sand tiger, spotted ragged-tooth shark
- German name: also Sandtiger Haie
- Touch & hearing: highly developed
- Prey: fish, hake, crabs, robes, rays,
blue fish, herrings, small sharks and squids
- Hunting behaviour: hunting schools of
fish together (Sardine Run), otherwise solitary animals
- Social behaviour: pronounced social
behaviour
- swim distance: long distance
- Distribution areas: tropical and
subtropical oceans
- Colour: light brown back area covered
with dark spots and whitish belly, the flanks often have reddish
spots
- Dorsal fins: two dorsal fins of equal
size
- Size: three meters, the females being
larger than the males
- Size of the males: 2.20 to 2.65
meters
- Cleft gill: two
- Dentition: Revolver dentition
- Eyes: slightly elliptical shape &
relatively small, no protective membrane
- Swim bladder: none
- Stomach: they are the only sharks
that can store inhaled air in their stomach so that it acts as a swim
bladder.
- Senses of smell: very pronounced
- Body shape: spindle-shaped, strong &
pressed
- Sexual maturity: approx. 2 meters in
length
- Pregnancy: eight to twelve months
- Number of young at birth: 2 young
sharks
- Size of the juvenile sharks: 1 meter
- Weight of the boys: 20 kg
- Birth: born alive
- Shark accidents with people: not
dangerous
- Senses: lateral line organ &
Lorenzini ampoules
- Washington Convention on Endangered
Species: not listed
- Red list: endangered
If you are planning your trip to South
Africa from Cape Town, we would like to offer you Cape Town shark
diving in Gansbaai. Only here is the likelihood of an encounter with
the great white shark very high.
If you would like more information
about our cage diving tours, please contact us.
Your Cape Town shark diving team
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