Experience the world’s most famous, most feared and most spectacular of sharks, the Great White. To see a Great White shark in the wild is a very special and rare experience but to come 'face to face' with one underwater is the most exciting experience available to divers today... Cage diving in Australia takes place around the scenic offshore islands of South Australia and have been described as the 'ultimate dive adventure'. Expeditions depart from Port Lincoln, and head out into the clear blue waters of the Southern Ocean... some of the best scuba diving locations for the Great White are centred around the Neptune Islands where you will find a mixture of wildlife, including many bird species, dolphins, thousands of fur seals, and the beautiful and rare Australian sea lion... this is the natural feeding ground of the Great White shark. This ultimate diving adventure can be booked on liveaboard dive boats and is generally regarded by those who go on these expeditions as the pinnacle of their scuba diving experiences.

Shark diving, or shark cage diving, allows divers, researchers and film crews who travel Australia to view the extraordinary world of great white sharks in comfort and safety. Specially designed shark viewing cages allow divers total freedom of movement and 360 degree shark viewing. The shark diving crews working on shark diving boats are industry professionals who care about your safety and enjoyment. Equally important, they care about making the shark dives safe for the sharks... some of the best scuba diving locations for shark diving in Australia are found around the ??? Islands of North and South Neptune and Dangerous Reef off the South Australian Coast, along the Great Barrier Reef and off Sydney Heads at Magie Point.

The shark cage is normally situated next to the side of the boat and once ready to make the dive, the dive master assists the diver into the opening at the top of the cage. Once in position, the divers head would be approximately half a metre below the surface. A freeboard of approximately 300 mm (12 inches) allows the diver to rise to the surface and communicate with the dive master on the boat.

White shark cage diving is normally done one of two ways:

• On a quick and effective rotational system, with only a small number of divers down at a time. Once the cage dive rotation is completed it will be repeated, ensuring that each diver is able to experience as many dives as possible. Time spent in the cage depends on weather and water conditions, shark activity and attitude of each diver, but is usually approximately 15 minutes at a time ensuring maximum shark cage diving time for all participating divers and snorkellers.

• Launching multiple 3 - 4 person surface cages as soon as the sharks arrive, so that all divers on the expedition experience the sharks at the same time.

On most shark diving excursions a scuba diving certification is not a necessity to be able to dive in the cage. While certified scuba divers go shark diving on scuba, inexperienced divers are able to enjoy the same experience on snorkel. Both methods are equally comfortable and take place under the strict supervision of a dive master.

Great white shark cage diving expeditions take place around the scenic offshore islands of South Australia and have been described as the 'ultimate dive adventure'. Expeditions depart from Port Lincoln, and head out into the clear blue waters of the Southern Ocean. At the Neptune Islands you will find a mixture of wildlife, including many bird species, dolphins, thousands of fur seals, and the beautiful and rare Australian sea lion.this is the natural feeding ground of the great white shark. This is the ultimate shark diving adventure and is generally regarded by those who go on these shark cage diving expeditions as the pinnacle of their diving experiences.

The great white shark is one of the sea's paramount killing machines. the perfect predator. a creature of deep fascination to many people.

Few other creatures, real or imagined, are surrounded by as much myth, mystery and speculation as the great white shark. the massive size of great white sharks, multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws have made the great white the stuff of legend.

Some of the biggest misconceptions involve the hunting capabilities and motivations of the great white shark. They're routinely portrayed as mindless killing machines, but like tigers, lions and other top-of-the-food-chain carnivores, the hunting skills of the great white is not always flawless. Seal colonies patrolled by these sharks have their share of scarred and injured animals that have successfully hauled themselves ashore after close calls with a great white.

It is also clear that a great white shark isn't driven to kill for killing's sake. Those that know the great white prefer to use the word 'motivated' rather than hungry. the great white shark has large meals infrequently, does not feed every day and won't hunt unless motivated. This is why people have managed to swim with white sharks in open water without being attacked, although this practice is widely condemned as foolhardy - a misfortune waiting to happen.

It also explains why large great white sharks often swim with seals in apparent harmony. Experts studying the great white report that. "Seals swim down and appear to play with them, obviously they can clearly tell if a great white is in hunting mode or not. Seals have also been seen to nip at their tails and swim right in front of their noses as if they're teasing them".

Being visual predators, great white sharks hunt by day, are thought to have exceptional eyesight and, judging from the structure of their retinas, see in colour. When it comes to other senses, however, recent research concludes their equipment is standard shark issue. the great white shark has very good sensory capabilities, but it's not extraordinary compared to other sharks.

Much of the mythology surrounding great white sharks involve their interactions with, and more specifically consumption of, humans. Death in the jaws of a huge great white or any shark, appears to be a widely shared primal fear for our species. the great white shark has probably been responsible for more human deaths than any other marine predator. Butattacks are as rare as they are tragic. Bee stings really do kill more people. According to Taronga Zoo's - 'Australian Shark Attack File'.

Sharks have, on average killed less than one person a year in Australian waters during the past 200 years. Allergic reactions to bee stings annually claim between two and three Australians.

Classed as a gamefish, this huge and powerful shark requires specialised equipment and tactics, including fighting chair, 60 kg (130 lbs) test line, 6 m (20 ft) wire leader, 12/0 reel, and extensive use of burley to attract it to the boat. International protection under CITEShas not yet been granted, allowing a sizable black market network to perpetuate sales of white shark jaws and teeth which bring high prices.

The great white shark is a regionally protected species off South Africa, Namibia, Maldives, Australia, California, the US Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf Coast (including Florida), and in the Mediterranean (including off Malta), where it is illegal to pursue, capture or possess a great white in whole or part. Our interest in the great white has created a thriving eco tourism industry in scattered locations around the globe, including (most notably) off South Australia, South Africa, and off California. As Australia travel agents online we book cage diving trips off South Australia. There is currently much conflict between tour operators, who argue that they and their clients have a right to observe the great whiteshark in the wild, and researchers who argue that these tourism activities interfere with their research work on the great white.