To work out at sea with large sharks is one of the most rewarding and exiting experiences one can ever be engaged in. We run a 25 day program specifically designed for marine biology, zoology, marine tourism and wildlife media students and if you wish to gain real hands on experience, working out in the field with large sharks, then this program is fantastic.
The program begins on the first of each calendar month and runs till the 25th of each month and it is an intense schedule of working with great white sharks from our 35ft dive boat and with other shark species from our smaller, dedicated tagging vessel. The schedule also includes several rest and excursion days, lectures and alternative shark related activities such as a shark feed.
The program is designed to provide participants with hands on experience which includes boat work, boat and equipment maintenance, boat handling, white shark surface and cage work, data collection, behaviour recording, videography, shark capturing and tagging and interactions with shark tourists. Thus, the program covers many important aspects of modern day shark work and provides the participant the opportunity to acquire a broad spectrum of valuable knowledge.

The program runs within the framework of White Shark Africa which is a successful and respected white shark filming, tourism and conservation company. The directors of the company have about forty years of collective shark and ocean experience and were an integral part of the team that had the white shark declared a protected species in South Africa in 1991. Craig Ferreira, one of the directors, has enormous white shark experience. He was the first person to attach cameras to free swimming white sharks, was the first person to extract blood from free swimming white sharks, has lectured all over the world, appeared on numerous documentaries, been team leader on international research expeditions and has written papers on population dynamics of the great white shark.
Our staff and research crew have many years of white shark filming, conservation and research experience and are of the most experienced white shark people on the planet. As a program participant, you will be rubbing shoulders with these people and gleaning valuable information from them.
Our working area is Mossel Bay on the SE coast of South Africa, about 370 km from Cape Town and it is without a doubt the best kept white shark secret in the world. Although Mossel Bay is still little known in the international shark arena, it is actually known as Whitesharkville. For a number of reasons, Mossel Bay is the top white shark site in South Africa. The area has the most stable weather in the country so unlike the other white shark sites, there is little down time due to adverse sea and weather conditions. It is rare that we are not able to get out to sea 28 days of each month. The water temperature averages from 17 to 23 degrees which is perfect temperature for white shark activity and our underwater visibility is normally above 25 feet. The white sharks in Mossel Bay are not seasonal and are present throughout the year, thus, we have an average sighting rate of six white sharks per day for approximately 98% of our trips. Our operational area includes three specific white shark sites. The one is at the seal island and the other two sites are close to river mouths.
Because of the local weather and sea conditions, Mossel Bay is a prolific shark area and through the year, we are able to capture and tag bronze whaler, hammerhead, soup fin and even mako sharks, among other species. In fact, our shark tag program is extremely important due to the continued over-fishing of many shark species but other than its ecological importance, the tag project provides exciting hands on work for participants.

All participants are taken on as part of our team and we have a great team of people who enjoy what they do. We want you to really enjoy your program with us so while the work is serious, having fun is also an important aspect of our work. During the program you will be living in Mossel Bay, within walking distance of the village, pubs, restaurants, museums, beaches and surf spots. It’s a nice seaside town with a laid back atmosphere and enough to keep you entertained when not at sea.
In this program we also offer longer internship stays and two shorter program options for those who are time restricted Should you wish to know more , let us know and we we will put you in touch with the program manger.

In summary, the program will provide you with the following. You will get to work shoulder to shoulder with some of the most experienced shark people in the world. You will work with and dive with great white sharks in a cage. You will record data and behaviour. You will learn to capture and tag sharks. You will experience underwater videography and you will get to work with tourists/the public You will many opportunities to advice and teach people about shark conservation , answer questions and have discussions. You will learn how to work and fit within a team, both on the dive and tag boats and you will learn about boats and seamanship.
We believe that this program is a must for anyone wishing to work with large and small sharks and it is an experience and education which you will always carry with you. This is a life experience and if you are serious about shark and ocean work, then we encourage you to look in to this.
For more information on this program, you may email, fax or phone us .