Join us for an unforgettable shark diving adventure just 1 hour south of Durban. Our boat launches from Shelly Beach and takes you straight to the renowned Protea Banks, one of the world’s top shark diving destinations.
Protea Banks is a renowned shark diving location off the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, famous for its diverse shark population, including Zambezi, Raggedtooth, and Hammerhead sharks. It's a popular spot for scuba divers, offering a chance to encounter these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
We specialize in shark diving experiences that combine professionalism, marine conservation, and sheer adrenaline. Our team has over 15 years’ experience running shark dives off the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
If you want a really close up encounter with sharks and take great photography, this shark dive on Protea Banks is what you are looking for.
This shark dive is suitable for those starting with an Open Water certification as it only goes to 10m. You must have good buoyancy as this dive is done in mid-water with no reef as a reference and be comfortable with the idea of SHARKS all around you.
We usually get Blacktips and Bull sharks and during the season Tiger sharks. Sharks are lured to a specific location by using a bait-ball or drum containing fish products like tuna, sardines, or other bait. No Cages: done without cages, allowing for a more natural and immersive experience.
Baited dives can attract a variety of shark species, including Tiger Sharks, Blacktip Sharks, Zambezi (Bull) Sharks, and Dusky Sharks and Divers are able to observe sharks at close range, drift with them in the current, and get close-up images and videos.
Our reefs are located at depths of 30 to 40 meters, and due to the current, which can vary from mild to very strong, this is a drift multilevel dive.
For this dive on Protea Banks, an Advanced certification is required. The dive can be challenging and is intended for experienced divers; therefore, we only accept divers with at least 35 dives and prior experience with deep dives. If you do not have the necessary experience but still wish to dive at Protea Banks, you can hire an instructor to accompany you. If you're not an advanced diver, consider checking out our courses.
During this shark dive on Protea Banks, you will have the opportunity to see SHARKS in their natural habitat and observe their natural behavior. Sightings can be fleeting, or you may get up close and personal with the SHARKS as they move in and out of our line of vision. The dive can be both intense and chilling—it's nature, so you can expect the unexpected. The duration of the dive is 40 to 50 minutes, depending on your personal air consumption.
We offer both day dives and shark diving packages.
No scuba diving license? Ask about our Discover Shark Diving program!
We offer introductory briefings and supervised dives for first-timers.
If not Certified divers with an Advanced Open Water qualification ask about ours advanced diver course.
Protea Banks is home to eight species of shark, depending on the season. These include:
💡 Our dives are designed to maximize your chance of sightings, depending on season and sea conditions.
Dive into adventure, and come face-to-face with sharks in their natural habitat.
Jean-Louis Vaucher2025-04-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I highly recommend this centre. Kyle and Michelle are great people. Am happy to have crossed their path. The dives were AWESOME. Their knowledge of the fauna and navigation skills flawless. I felt in good hands, with a cheerful yet vers serious atmosphere. Johanna Strobel2025-04-15Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Dive in Adventures is a diving center with excellent technical and staffing capabilities! Skipper Kyle takes the divers in a rubber dinghy through the surf zone far out to the open sea to the best diving spots. Above the deep lying reefs the drift dives over several km are guided by divemaster Michelle with a towed buoy, and each diver gets a GPS tracker. During baited dives, sharks are attracted by the smell of fish put in a perforated buoy which hangs at a depth of 10 m. This "tea bag" principle prevents sharks from mistaking a diver for food and accidentally nibbling on him. Bull sharks, blacktip and tiger sharks are common to be seen as well as hammerhead sharks and other species, circling the buoy, approaching divers up to arm's length to be observed and filmed. Incomparable! Manager Patricia who works most time invisibly in the background takes care of everything you need. She books a reliable and safe transfer from the airport in Durban to Margate/Shelly Beach and she knows a really lovely B&B. She also organizes excursions on land and safaris and takes great videos of the dives for a lasting memory. We were there for six days with diving and an excursion, and it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience! Hanna & Iris alex kowalsky2025-03-25Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This year 2025 since the diving operator I was diving with closed business down,I started diving with Dive in Adventures suggested by a south african friend and owner of a highly reliable diving center. I couldn´t be happier in the way Patricia,one of the owners made contact and helped me out to organize, with me together, 4 days diving. Kyle and Michelle both running on a daily basis all the logistics,like preparation,boat launch,ride to divesites,guiding...in my opinion,highly professional and enjoyable....that means perfect!. They make you enjoy while you learn just by listenning to them and/or underwater during the dives. I´m a diving instructor with more than 15 years experience in different countries with people with different backgrounds and nationalities and all I can say is; one of my favourite places to dive and nice team to dive with.And just as a tip; listen to them since they´re gonna do all their best to guide you and/or assist you. Hope we´ll meet again...thanks to everyone!!. Alex Manas Toews2025-03-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. If you want to dive protea, there is no point in looking anywhere else. For the adventurous diver, freedom is given with safety still being prioritized. Great time! Arend Le Roux2025-03-10Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. If you are looking for the best underwater experience, look no further than dive in adventure tours. Between dive master Michelle and skipper Kyle, they got you covered for the experience of a lifetime. I have not yet met a couple as passionate as them when it comes to making your dive experience one to remember. The effort they do to see a wide variety of sharks is insane. I would definitely recommend this dive charter to anyone throughout the year. Massimo Casali2025-03-07Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. If you dive, you want to dive protea banks, and if you dive protea banks you must do it with Kyle and Michelle. They live and breathe diving here, are highly experienced and extremely passionate. They are loads of fun and always have a story to tell. As soon as you arrive the atmosphere is super friendly and chill. But beneath this you realise how hard working they are and that safety is the core of the operation. The addition of nautilus is a fantastic touch. The diving is unbelievable. In one dive we got blacktip sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks, hammerhead sharks and a marlin. A huge thank you for all the amazing diving!!! Gordon Allister2025-02-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Completed PADI Open water, with Dive In Adventures. Thanks to Patty, Michelle, Kyle and Jay for was one dives and training. I can definitely recommend them and will be doing advanced training with them Andrew Jose2025-01-31Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had two days of diving at Protea Banks with Dive In Adventures. One baited shark dive and three reef dives. The diving was excellent with massive bull sharks, oceanic black tips, hammerheads and a couple of guitar sharks. The beach launch was challenging but Kyle, or skipper, was excellent. Dive In is relatively new and run by Michelle and Kyle. Michelle was our dive guide and Kyle the boat captain. From arrival to departure the service was first rate. It was relaxed with coffee on arrival and then went at the guests speed and comfort. Michelle was an excellent and knowledgable guide and safety was a priority. Overall and excellent experience and I would absolutely recommend using this company if you are in the area. Isa Carvalho2025-01-14Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My friends and I had the best dive this holidays and seeing so many sharks was an incredible experience. Paty was an amazing instructor and took us around so many adventures. Thank you! Isadora bento2025-01-14Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. What an adventure! Such an amazing experience diving and Safari tours. Can’t wait to come back and explore a little bit more of South Africa 😍😬
We're just a 90-minute drive south of Durban, on the stunning Hibiscus Coast. Free secure parking available. Transport options can be arranged on request.