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South African Culture: South Africa's Extreme Sports

South African Extreme Sports

South Africa has established itself as an adrenaline junkie's paradise. With the world's highest bungee jump, the chance to dive with dangerous sharks, and the countries unique version of canyoning, there's lots of activities to keep the blood pumping.

Great White Shark Cage Diving

You get into a small metal cage and are dangled into the sea, just metres from hungry great white sharks.

Day trips normally last between two and six hours. The boat takes you out into the ocean and the crew attract the sharks with bloody bait. The cage is tethered to the boat and divers take it in turns to jump into the cage and watch the sharks close up.

You don't need any diving experience, you just need balls! And you will get a short safety course, and be told how to use the equipment beforehand.

There are two areas where you can dive with Great Whites - Gansbaai and Mosselbaai, both within driving distance of Cape Town.

Dive South Africa (www.divesouthafrica.co.za) has day trips for ZAR 1,200.00 per person, that's around £95.

Sandboarding

There's no technique to sandboarding - you just wax your board, point yourself down the slope, and go for it.

It's easy and good fun, but there is a downside - having to climb up sand dunes when it's 35C and sand gets everywhere.

There's a beginners slope with a 60ft run, and another off the top of a 1,000ft hill at Betty's Bay, 90 minutes east of Cape Town.

Downhill Adventures (www.downhilladventures.com ) organizes a day's outing to Betty's Bay, or the nature reserve at Atlantis which is approx. 40 minutes from Cape Town. A full days sand boarding costs ZAR 655.00 per person, around £52.

Kloofing

Canyoning - or kloofing as it's called in South Africa - is like hiking, but with a difference: when the path runs out you go to the top of the nearest rock and jump off into pools below.

It takes place in a river gorge deep in the mountains. There are inherently a few dangers involved, but that's what makes it a worthwhile venture for those seeking new levels of excitement.

Cape Town Safaris (www.capetownsafaris.com) organize a full day's kloofing at Kamikaze Canyon near Cape Town, for EUR 82 per person, around £72.

Bungee Jumping

South Africa is home to the world's highest bungee jump - the Bloukrans Bridge at 216 metres.

If you're not familiar with the bungee, you basically jump off something high with a piece of elastic attached to your feet. After seconds of free fall, the elastic kicks in and you bounce back.

At Bloukrans they secure you in a full body harness, and give you instructions about how exactly to launch off the platform.

For the more faint hearted (chickens) of you, Face Adrenalin (www.faceadrenalin.com/bloukransbridge) also offer bridge walking tours.

Sky Diving

For a tandem skydive, you will be strapped to an instructor with a special harness and parachute strong enough to support both of you. It allows you to experience the thrill of free fall without the effort of learning all the theory.

Once out the plane, you free fall for approximately 25 seconds from 9,000ft or for about 35 seconds from 11,000ft. The Tandem Instructor opens the parachute at about 5000ft, and a peaceful 3-4 minute parachute ride to the ground follows.

CapeXtreme operate near Cape Town www.cape-xtreme.com/adventure-tours/skydiving

A tandem jump costs ZAR 1,750 per person, that's around £140.

Flight Tickets

Expedia has good flight deals and flight, hotels and car hire packages for South Africa.

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