Location: Various locations between East London and the wild Atlantic coast of South Africa including False Bay
South African Endemic Shark Photography Expedition
The ultimate quest to photograph all of South Africa’s endemic shark species
If you are a serious shark fan and want to photograph as many sharks as possible, we are running a very special South African Endemic Shark Diving Expedition.
This expedition will start on the Indian Ocean side of South Africa in East London. From there we will move to Port Elizabeth, Plettenberg Bay, False Bay, and finish with some exploratory diving on the wild Atlantic coast of South Africa. At each location we will conduct chummed reef dives to photograph all the common species of catsharks, plus rarely seen Tiger Catsharks, Lined Catsharks, Brown Shysharks, and Natal Shysharks.
The trip will include three days of diving in the Western Cape because of the sheer abundance and diversity of shark species in that area. In False Bay alone, we will probably encounter Leopard Catsharks, Pyjama Catsharks, Puffadder Shysharks, Dark Shysharks, Spotted Gully Sharks, huge Broadnose Sevengill Sharks and Tiger Catsharks. We will also spend a day offshore diving with Blue Sharks, and Makos.
Although you will be staying in comfortable lodges, this will be ‘real’ expedition, diving in some the wildest places left on our planet. This trip will raise the bar of what you consider ‘Adventure’.
THE ENCOUNTER
Diving with all of South Africa’s accessible sharks and some that are usually completely inaccessible!
2026
DATE
February 8-21 5 SPOTS AVAILABLE
PRICE (USD)
$8495 per person double occupancy
$9995 single occupancy
LEADER
Andy Murch
2028
DATE
February TBA 7 SPOTS AVAILABLE
PRICE (USD)
$TBA per person double occupancy
$TBA single occupancy
LEADER
Andy Murch
2030
DATE
TBA 7 SPOTS AVAILABLE
PRICE (USD)
$TBA per person double occupancy
$TBA single occupancy
LEADER
Andy Murch
DETAILS
ACCOMMODATION
Comfortable hotels or lodges in East London, Port Elizabeth, Plettenberg Bay, False Bay, and the wild west coast.
EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Experienced open water divers only.
CONDITIONS
Water Temp: 13 – 18º C (7 mm suit recommended)
Water visibility: 3 – 30 meters
WHAT’S INCLUDED
-
- 12 Nights in a variety of comfortable hotels and lodges.
- Airport transfers (East London and Cape Town)
- Transportation between lodges along the coast of South Africa.
- 11 days of baited dives. 2-3 dives each day
- Professional Shark Diving Guides
- Weights and tanks
- Breakfast at the hotels and lodges
- Pack lunches & drinks on the boats
NOT INCLUDED
- Flights
- Dinners
- Alcohol
- Dive gear
- Crew gratuities
A Unique Opportunity!
We will be visiting a variety of destinations that are already on the diving map, but none of the local operators have experience in attracting endemic catsharks and other shark species, so we will be traveling with our own experienced crew who have been successfully conducting baited shark dives in False Bay for many years. They are as excited as we are about the opportunity to chum for sharks in never-before-chummed spots along the coast of South Africa.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive in East London and check into the lodge followed by our first group dinner and briefing about the adventure ahead!
Day 2: Dive East London in search of brown shysharks and lined catsharks which are unique to this area.
Day 3: Second day of diving in East London before transferring to Port Elizabeth and settling into the next lodge.
Day 4: Today we will dive Port Elizabeth with many species of sharks on a stunning backdrop of whip corals and hard coral ledges. This is an especially good spot to find leopard catsharks displaying intricate honeycomb patterns that you cannot see further west.
Day 5: On our second day of diving at Port Elizabeth we will split our dives between the many catshark species that live in the area and dives with raggedtooth aka sandtiger sharks. In the afternoon we will drive west to Plettenberg Bay and check into our third lodge.
Day 6: Dive Plettenberg Bay; another excellent spot for shark variety, this time set against a beautiful backdrop of white hard corals.
Day 7: Second day of shark diving at Plettenberg Bay. Depending on conditions, we may also snorkel at a South African fur seal colony. In the afternoon we will move to on to False Bay.
Day 8: Today we will explore the stunning help forests of False Bay and dive with enormous sevengill sharks, as well as many endemic catsharks that live in this region.
Day 9: A repeat of yesterday with a dive at a special location to look for tiger catsharks; a species that very few divers have images of.
Day 10: Weather permitting, today we will head far offshore into the deep South Atlantic to dive with blue sharks and mako sharks.
Day 11: In the spirit of a true expedition, this morning we will drive up the west side of South Africa to explore a section of the wild Atlantic coast that divers never visit. We are not sure what to expect except pristine kelp forests which fishermen say is the last stronghold of sevengill sharks. We will probably see many more shark species in this region as well.
Day 12: A full day of diving and exploration on the Atlantic coast. We are very excited to explore this uncharted region!
Day 13: A final morning dive on the Atlantic coast before we return to Cape Town to end the expedition.
After this Adventure, you’ll never look at shark diving the same way again.
Ready to sign up or have a question about this trip?
Contact Big Fish about this Expedition
Photo © Andy Murch
Photo © Andy Murch
Photo © Andy Murch
Delivering world-class wildlife encounters since 2010
Big Fish Expeditions Founder Andy Murch has spent the last three decades chasing big animals all over the world. Few people have Andy’s knowledge and organizational skills necessary to put together a professional expedition. Have a look through some of the comments from our guests: testimonials.
Guest Feedback
GO. YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!
I have been on 3 Big Fish Expeditions trips by now and have more trips to look forward to in the near future. First of all I share a big passion for sharks, whale and other big marine life and Big Fish Expedition is all about that. As an amateur photographer is great to be among equals and even better to get new tips and ideas from professionals.
Andy is very helpful showing new tricks and talk about UW photography in between dives. Sure the destinations offers world class diving but it’s also about the people and the relation to people and Andy surely gives everyone the feeling of being very welcome and try to give everyone a lifetime experience.
Another good thing is that Andy is maybe the only pro shooters who offers trips to very reasonable prices. I won’t go into details about all the good dives I’ve done with Big Fish but instead say GO, you will never regret it!
Br, Rasmus Raahauge
Denmark
ABOUT BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS
5 stars!
I’ve been on three trips with Big Fish Expeditions. Each one was well organized and jam packed with unique wildlife encounters. I am booked for another trip next year and for many more to come. Highly recommended!!
BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS
I have been on a couple of Big Fish Photography Expeditions trips now. They are always well organized, and exceed my expectations! Andy puts together unique and action-packed trips. I’m looking forward to my next dive experience with him.
Trisha S.
Vancouver, BC
AMAZING TRIPS
Amazing trips, just finish my 7th with Big Fish Expeditions, many more to come! 
Sene M.
Canada
ANOTHER GREAT ADVENTURE WITH BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS
Just returned from my second trip with BFE and it went off perfectly. The true adventure of these trips always present challenging logistics but they pulled it off flawlessly. I would highly recommend BFE to anyone looking to get “off the grid” and experience a wildlife trip of a lifetime. I am looking forward to my next adventure with them. Thanks again!!
Scott O.
Detroit, Michigan
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING TIME WITH BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS
Andy is one of the best in the business. I would highly, highly recommend anyone interested in an animal focused trip to go with big fish expeditions.
The quality of experience and knowledge of the trip leader really sets them apart. Expect to get your fill of animals no matter what the trip is. Andy is also great at finding other animals to incorporate within the trips.
If you’re looking for a shark trip or big animal experience, this is your place. Period.
Enjoy!
Jesse B.
Ontario, Canada
