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43-691: The main tourist attraction in Gansbaai since approximately 1995 has been cage diving with great white sharks. It is said that after Kruger National Park , the great white sharks attract some of the highest numbers of tourists to South Africa for any single activity. Klipgat Cave is located in the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, next to De Kelders , the residential shore area of Gansbaai. As one of only three places in South Africa where such old remains have been excavated, Klipgat Cave

86-449: A ban on shark-cage diving and described it as a "major workplace safety issue". The government of South Australia claims that there is "no scientific evidence" to suggest that the general public is at elevated risk of shark attack as a result of shark cage tourism. Opponents of the cage-diving industry, such as shark-survivor Craig Bovim, who was reportedly bitten by a ragged-tooth shark (a species not targeted by cage diving operators in

129-453: A cage are the great white shark and the bull shark , which are both known to be aggressive at times. Shark-proof cages are built to withstand being rammed and bitten by sharks, and are intended to protect the user from injury. Cages can provide a visual and tactile deterrent to sharks. Cage-diving allows people to closely monitor sharks for scientific, commercial or recreational purposes, and sometimes interact with them. The shark-proof cage

172-539: A given municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district . The English word is derived from French municipalité , which in turn derives from the Latin municipalis , based on the word for social contract ( municipium ), referring originally to the Latin communities that supplied Rome with troops in exchange for their own incorporation into

215-479: A modern fish meal factory. It is still believed to be the primary employment generator in Gansbaai and the canning division is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The town became a municipality in 1963. Today, Gansbaai's economy still revolves around its fishing industry, but an increasingly large part of it now comes from tourism. It is considered the great white shark capital of

258-493: A self-propelled cage to protect abalone divers from sharks, which he patented in 1975. Mounting the motor in gimbals in the front of the cage makes the vehicle highly maneuverable. Movement and speed are controlled with a "joystick". The design allowed abalone divers to work without becoming vulnerable to attack. Due to the propulsion system, the divers would exert themselves less and, therefore, might be able to collect molluscs for longer periods. The patent abstract details

301-498: A self-propelled cage with at least one access opening and a mounting frame that carries both an air motor and a propeller . Buoyant material is attached to the frame so that the cage may be made neutrally buoyant . The diver can control warm water piped to the diver's suit in cold environments. Propulsion was later changed to hydraulics supplied from the boat through the diver's umbilical. The patent expired in 1996, although Ellis continued to make improvements. A 1975 version of

344-480: A shark-observation cage in the late 1960s. Fox's first design was inspired by a visit to a zoo he made after surviving a near-fatal shark attack in 1963. Film-maker Peter Gimbel was involved in the design of a shark-proof cage for the production of Blue Water, White Death (1971). In 1974, after several reported shark attacks on working divers in Australia, Australian abalone diver James "Jim" Ellis developed

387-413: Is underwater diving or snorkeling where the observer remains inside a protective cage designed to prevent sharks from making contact with the divers. Shark cage diving is used for scientific observation, underwater cinematography, and as a tourist activity. Sharks may be attracted to the vicinity of the cage by the use of bait, in a procedure known as chumming , which has attracted some controversy as it

430-570: Is a smaller island nearby and is home to around 60,000 brown fur seals . The shallow channel between the two islands is popularly known as Shark Alley. Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is a nature reserve and cannot be accessed by the general public. Gansbaai is located in the Overstrand Local Municipality , which falls within the Overberg District Municipality . The Overstrand council governs

473-412: Is also used in the controversial exercise of shark baiting , where tourists are lowered in a cage while the tour guides bait the water to attract sharks or stimulate certain behavior. Shark cages were first developed by Jacques Cousteau . Cousteau used a shark cage when producing The Silent World , released in 1956. Australian recreational diver and shark-attack survivor Rodney Fox helped develop

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516-400: Is claimed to potentially alter the natural behaviour of sharks in the vicinity of swimmers. Similar cages are also used purely as a protective measure for divers working in waters where potentially dangerous shark species are present. In this application the shark-proof cage may be used as a refuge, or as a diving stage during descent and ascent, particularly during staged decompression where

559-425: Is evidence that the baiting of sharks for tourism does alter the patterns of movement of Great White Sharks. In 2005, a British tourist, Mark Currie, was exposed to a high risk of injury or death when a 5-metre (18 ft) great white shark bit through the bars of a shark cage being used during a recreational shark dive off the coast of South Africa . The shark circled the boat several times, and began to attack

602-635: Is known for its vast mountainous landscapes covered with unspoilt vegetation of the Cape Floristic Region ( Fynbos ). Despite being the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms, the Cape Floral Kingdom, with 9000 species, is the richest. Gansbaai is home to the annual Reforest Fest in Platbos Forest , the southernmost indigenous forest South Africa . The event is focused on therapeutic measures to rehabilitate

645-599: Is one of the most important historical sites in the Western Cape. The reserve and the cave are open to anyone that has a wild card. The earliest evidence of the presence of sheep-herding Khoi people (after the hunter-gatherer-"San", the original indigenous population of the Western Cape) in the Western Cape has been found in Klipgat Cave. Until the first white settlers arrived at the end of the 18th century,

688-523: The Xhosa . The Birkenhead became famous because it was the first shipwreck where the " women and children first " protocol was applied. All women and children were saved but 445 of the men, mostly soldiers, perished. Most of the horses swam ashore and were the ancestors of a feral herd that roamed the plains east of Gansbaai until late in the 20th century. More than 140 ships have been wrecked and thousands of lives lost between Danger Point and Cape Infanta, to

731-670: The state . Municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations with income tax , property tax , and corporate income tax , but may also receive substantial funding from the state. In some European countries, such as Germany, municipalities have the constitutional right to supply public services through municipally-owned public utility companies . Terms cognate with "municipality", mostly referring to territory or political structure, are Spanish municipio (Spain) and municipalidad (Chile), Catalan municipi , Portuguese município . In many countries, terms cognate with "commune" are used, referring to

774-565: The 15th century. Dyer Island is the largest group of islands about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) offshore from Gansbaai and less than that from Danger Point peninsula. It is named after Samson Dyer , an emigrant from the US to the Cape Colony in 1806, who lived on the island collecting guano , which he sold to mainlanders as fertiliser . The island is home to a declining colony of African penguins (≈ 5000 individuals in 2015). Geyser Rock

817-654: The Khoi people thrived in this region. An expedition sent by Jan van Riebeeck to the area, described meeting people of the so-called Chainouqua-tribe near Baardskeerdersbos, a rural hamlet, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Gansbaai. The river flowing through the Baardskeerdersbos Valley is still called "Boesmansrivier" (Afrikaans for Bushman's river). " Bushman " is a name commonly used for the San-people, but will in this case have reflected Khoi-people. It

860-602: The Roman state (granting Roman citizenship to the inhabitants) while permitting the communities to retain their own local governments (a limited autonomy). A municipality can be any political jurisdiction , from a sovereign state such as the Principality of Monaco , to a small village such as West Hampton Dunes, New York . The territory over which a municipality has jurisdiction may encompass: Powers of municipalities range from virtual autonomy to complete subordination to

903-562: The cage was acquired by the Australian National Maritime Museum in 1988. During the 2000s, shark-cage diving became more popular as a tourist activity. In South Australia, tourists are taken by boat from Port Lincoln to the Neptune Islands in the southern Spencer Gulf, where they view great white sharks either from a cage tethered to the back of a boat near the surface or from a cage lowered to

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946-462: The capsized hull for more than forty minutes before it was realized that passengers were still unaccounted for. It was claimed by one of the defendants during the 2014 Western Cape High Court trial in Cape Town , South Africa that the wave that capsized the vessel was a freak wave, but statistically it was probably simply a larger wave in a 4 meter swell, that picked up over the reef. Since the vessel

989-461: The coast near Gansbaai , South Africa, where three tourists died - two Americans and one Norwegian. The cage diving vessel was anchored on the Geldsteen reef near Dyer Island (South Africa) and engaged in shark cage diving viewing activities when it was capsized by a large wave estimated at 6m in a swell estimated at 4m significant wave height height. The boat engines were off while anchored over

1032-420: The coast of Mexico, when a shark that lunged for the bait broke into the cage and the diver was able to escape uninjured. Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term municipality may also mean the governing body of

1075-419: The colony of Egyptian geese that gathered at the freshwater fountain in the present-day Gansbaai Harbor. Up until the 20th century, however, it was little more than a simple fishing village due to its isolation and lack of communication with the outside world. Gansbaai's economy received an economic boost in 1939 when a small factory was built to process sharks' livers for vitamin A and lubricant , which

1118-534: The community living in the area and the common interest. These include terms: The same terms "Gemeente" (Dutch) or "Gemeinde" (German) may be used for church congregations or parishes, for example, in the German and Dutch Protestant churches. In Greece, the word Δήμος ( demos ) is used, also meaning 'community'; the word is known in English from the compound democracy (rule of the people). In some countries,

1161-439: The divers may be vulnerable while constrained to a specific depth in mid-water for several minutes. In other applications a mobile cage may be carried by the diver while harvesting organisms such as abalone . A shark-proof cage is a metal cage used by an underwater diver , to observe dangerous types of sharks up close or to harvest seafood in relative safety. Of the various species of shark, those most commonly observed from

1204-528: The east of Gansbaai. In 1895, the Danger Point Lighthouse was built, providing more security for the ships in these dangerous waters. Gansbaai was founded, according to local storytellers, in 1881 after 18-year-old fisherman Johannes Cornelis Wessels walked there across the dunes from Stanford and discovered excellent fishing in the area. He settled there, and soon after other families followed suit. The settlers called it "Gansbaai" after

1247-543: The ecosystems that were once there. The event, hosted by environmental group Greenpop and Platbos Reserve is focused on environmental action. The Reforest Fest in the Platbos Forest Reserve serves annually as a prime example of the sound wilderness engineering , driven by the social connection of exciting weekend recreation and conservation. The original name of Dyer Island was Ilha da Fera (Island of wild creatures), so named by Portuguese seafarers in

1290-579: The inhabitants described themselves as " Black African ", 30% as " Coloured ", and 24% as " White ". 53% spoke Afrikaans as their first language , 40% spoke Xhosa , 3% spoke English , and 4% spoke some other language. There are three public primary schools in Gansbaai: A public high school, Gansbaai Academia , was opened in 2010. It has approximately 900 students who are taught in Afrikaans and English. Shark cage diving Shark cage diving

1333-496: The reef, and the skipper was at the back of the vessel handling the bait line attracting sharks towards the cage. A videographer was in the cage at the time of capsize filming underwater footage for the DVDs sold as a tour souvenir. During the capsize, all of the 19 people on board were thrown overboard. It was unknown at the time of the capsize how many passengers were onboard the vessel, and two American tourists were trapped underneath

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1376-557: The region, and not generally considered a hazard to divers) while snorkeling for lobster at Scarborough, on the other side of the Cape Peninsula from Seal Island, where the shark cage boats operate, believe that the repeated chumming used to lure sharks to tourist cages may alter sharks' behaviour. Bovim's opponents, such as marine environmentalist Wilfred Chivell , contend that there is no demonstrated correlation between shark-baiting and shark attacks against humans. However, there

1419-425: The seabed. The government considers the activity to be one of South Australia's "iconic nature-based tourism experiences", which supports 70 jobs and contributes over $ 11 million to the state's economy. Shark baiting is a procedure where the water is baited by chumming with fish or other materials attractive to sharks. Tourists remain inside a shark-proof cage while tour guides bait the waters to attract sharks for

1462-462: The shark with blows to its head. In 2007, a commercial shark cage was destroyed off the coast of Guadalupe Island after a 4.6-metre (15 ft) great white shark became entangled and tore the cage apart in a frantic effort to free itself. Tourists captured video of the incident, which quickly spread on the Internet. On April 13, 2008, there was a fatal capsize of a shark cage diving boat off

1505-400: The side of the cage, then started to crush and bite through. The captain attempted to free the cage by trying to distract the shark. He did this by hitting it on the head with an iron pole. The shark bit into one of the buoys at the top of the cage, which caused the cage to begin sinking. Currie quickly swam out of the top of the cage and was pulled to safety by the boat's captain, who fended off

1548-515: The southwestern coast of the Overberg , from Pringle Bay to Pearly Beach ; its headquarters are in Hermanus but there is an office in Gansbaai. In the 2011 census , the population of Gansbaai was recorded as 11,598 people, living in an area of 12.4 square kilometres (4.8 sq mi), giving the town a population density of 932.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,414/sq mi). 45% of

1591-542: The tourists to observe. There have been claims that this could lead to potentially aggressive behavior by the shark population. Some conservation groups, scuba divers, and underwater photographers consider the practice undesirable and potentially dangerous. In South Australia, abalone divers have been attacked by great white sharks, and divers believe that great white shark cage diving tourism has altered shark behavior including making them more inclined to approach boats. At least one abalone diver, Peter Stephenson has called for

1634-492: The world, drawing National Geographic Society film crews and researchers from around the globe to study the wildlife. It has also become a popular whale-watching spot for the right whale . The southern right whale can be seen in large numbers, especially from the rocky shores of De Kelders on Walker Bay. This is also the site of an old whaling station. The lookout platform and the steps leading to it are still standing. Today whales are protected in South Africa. The hinterland

1677-419: Was anchored over a reef with engines off, it made a larger than normal wave more likely to break near the boat, and a capsize more difficult to avoid. There were other breaking waves shown in photos and videos which showed the increasing danger. The trial judge ruled that the skipper, cage diving operators, and boat owners were guilty of negligence. Being anchored over a reef in a large sea in dangerous conditions

1720-521: Was big and fertile enough for such purposes. On many of the large farms around Gansbaai, the old and original homesteads and mudstone houses tell of the days when the white farmers settled down. The troopship HMS Birkenhead was wrecked off Danger Point in 1852. A barely visible rock 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Danger Point (now aptly called "Birkenhead Rock") was fatal for the troopship carrying young Welsh, Scottish and English soldiers and their officers and family on their way to Eastern Cape to fight

1763-511: Was in great demand during World War II . After the war, however, demand fell and the few years of prosperity were over. It was not until local school principal Johannes Barnard persuaded village fishermen to set up the first fishery cooperative in South Africa that the economy began to recover. Barnard helped the fishermen obtain capital from the Fisheries Development Corporation, deepen the harbour and establish

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1806-448: Was ruled as the primary reason for the capsize and death of the three tourists, Shark cage diving was incidental, but was the reason for the vessel to have remained anchored over a shallow reef, with engines off, despite increasing swells and breaking waves. If sharks had not been present and if the videographer had not still been in the cage filming they would have probably have already left. Another incident reported in 2016 occurred off

1849-476: Was the people of Khoi-descent that erected the first permanent settlement in the Gansbaai vicinity. In 1811 fishing cottages were built under the dense Milkwood Forests in Stanfords Bay near De Kelders. The first white settlers in the area were " trekboers " (nomadic farmers). They copied the Khoi herding techniques of using a grazing area until it was exhausted, then moving on to greener pastures. The area

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