Across the peninsular to the south, Kleinbaai is a smaller port which lays claim to being the world's centre for Shark Cage Diving. Kleinbaai lies at the Danger Point Peninsula proper and is the main reason for Gansbaai’s flourishing all year round tourism season.
About four nautical miles from the Kleinbaai harbour, you will find Dyer Island, primarily a bird sanctuary with jackass penguins, cormorants and numerous other marine birds. Next to Dyer Island lies Geyser Rock that hosts a colony of more than 50 000 Cape fur seals. Between these islands lies 'Shark Alley', where the mysterious and graceful Great White Sharks have drawn thousands of visitors from across the globe. A fleet of boats depart every morning from Kleinbaai harbour to take visitors on an existing marine game viewing cruise.
The area is also regarded as one of the best Whale-watching sites in the world, and whether it is from a boat or from shore, you are almost certain to come across Whales frolicking in the bay. Licensed boats are allowed to approach within 50 metres of Whales and therefore come prepared to be wet from the spray of their blowholes.
A custom designed, world-class, marine bird rehabilitation centre called the “African Penguin and Sea Bird Sanctuary” (APSS) opened in Kleinbaai February 2015. This rehabilitation centre provides temporary rehabilitative care to diseased, displaced, injured, oiled and abandoned marine bids, with a special focus on the endangered African Penguin. Marine bird rescue, rehabilitation and release form part of the management plan to conserve and maintain African penguins and other marine bird populations along the South African coastline. An auditorium equipped with a big TV screen which is linked up to the rehabilitation area will enable visitors to see what is being done behind the scenes.
Kleinbaai also boast a big tidal pool, with lush green lawns perfect for safe swimming and picnic area. A popular 9-hole golf course one of the few that offers a sea view – and modern clubhouse with a bar and outdoor braai facilities. A squash court and a spacious recreational hall are part of the complex.
A scenic hiking trail runs all the way along the rugged coastline with its beautiful rock pools to the Danger Point Lighthouse.
The business sector comprises a superette and liquor store, a petrol station, a licensed restaurant and tourist shops. Kleinbaai area is very still a serene coastal hide-out and popular fishing spot.
Gansbaai is known as the ‘Great White Shark Capital of the World’ and ‘Big 2 Town’ due to the many Great White Sharks and Southern Right Whales that are seen along our pristine shores.
Gansbaai is an unpretentious little fishing village based around a small commercial fishing port, generally of modest interest to travellers.
What makes Gansbaai so unique? Simply it's rugged and natural unspoilt beauty.
Gansbaai is named after a flock of wild Egyptian geese that are alleged to have congregated at the freshwater fountain next to the harbour. Situated between the towns of Hermanus and Pearly Beach, Gansbaai lies in Walker Bay at the foot of the Duynefontein Mountains with a magnificent coastline rich in fynbos vegetation.
The entire Walker Bay area, between Gansbaai and Hermanus, is a whale sanctuary and the gentle giants of the southern ocean, the Southern Right Whale, can be sighted within metres of the shoreline where they come annually to mate and calve.
These remarkable beasts spend summer feeding around Antarctica and then migrate thousands of miles to our waters, where sheltered bays offer perfect refuge, such as Gansbaai and the nearby cliff top suburb of De Kelders (meaning ‘The Cellars’). From the spectacular cliffs of De Kelders to the miles of white sandy beaches of Pearly Beach, you will find one of the most unique land-based whale watching spots in the world.
Gansbaai is renowned for good fishing and many visitors enjoy angling along our rugged coastline or out at sea from ski-boats. It is the heart of crayfish country with the annual crayfish festival being one of the highlights of the local calendar.
Abalone (also known as Perlemoen) is professionally farmed in the Danger Point area, ensuring the on-going supply of these precious culinary delights.
Gansbaai lies in the heart of the fynbos biome, which is home to thousands of plant species, a number of which are some of the rarest on earth. There are a number of conservancies and reserves in the area that protect these species. Ancient milk wood forests grace the surroundings. Some of the Cape's best-conserved fynbos adorns the mountains in the area and numerous walks and trails crisscross it. Fynbos is the common name for the fine-leafed, thick, shrub-like vegetation which is indigenous to the winter rainfall area of the southern and south-western parts of the Western Cape.
The historic lighthouse at Danger Point commissioned in 1895, is one of the few working light houses, a declared national monument and open to all tourists. You can climb the stairs to the revolving light and peer out at the restless waters that cover the remains of the famous Birkenhead wreck.
Gansbaai, also known as the 'coast of contrasts’, has much to offer for those seeking adventure with a touch of class. It remains a fishing village at heart, despite its growing reputation.