Dyer Island is a stunning protected haven that offers an unforgettable experience for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. Nestled near the charming town of Gansbaai, South Africa, this island is renowned for its vibrant marine life. The Dyer Island Nature Reserve Complex is a protected area off the coast of Gansbaai in the Western Cape, South Africa.
A Thriving Ecosystem
The reserve hosts a plethora of marine life, fed by the nutrient-rich Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem, one of the most productive areas of ocean in the world. Dyer Island is the largest in the group of islands and lies about 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) offshore from Gansbaai and Danger Point Lighthouse.
The Nature Reserve includes Dyer Island and a rocky outcrop called Geyser Island to its southwest, separated by a sandy bottom channel known as Shark Alley.
Home to Diverse Species
This island is home to a declining colony of African penguins (≈ 5000 individuals in 2015). Geyser Island is a smaller island nearby and is home to around 60,000 brown fur seals.
- African Penguins: The island is a crucial breeding area for these endangered birds.
- Cape Fur Seals: Geyser Rock supports one of the largest Cape Fur Seal colonies in the Western Cape, with an estimated 60,000 seals.
- Great White Sharks: The channel between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, known as "Shark Alley," is home to a dense population of Great White Sharks.
Shark Alley: A World-Renowned Hotspot
As a general rule, swimming in an area named “shark alley” probably isn’t a good idea. Shark alley is a small region around Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, just off the mainland of South Africa.
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Why "Shark Alley"?
Geyser Rock supports one of the largest Cape Fur Seal colonies in the Western Cape, an estimated 60,000 seals being based here. Great whites love seals, and Dyer Island has 60,000 of them. Almost any place in the world that has a dense population of seals is likely to have a dense population of great whites.
The area is particularly famous for shark diving opportunities with great white sharks lurking in the waters. Gansbaai became a shark-cage diving hotspot after the great white was declared a protected species in South Africa in 1991.
The many sheltered areas of the bay provide the breeding ground for the Southern Right Whales that migrate here from the sub-Antarctic islands between June to December each year.
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT)
This marine environment has been the focus of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, which was founded by conservationist Wilfred Chivell in 2006.
DICT (the Dyer Island Conservation Trust) is an organization that protects, researches, and cares for the place that many are afraid of. Using the money generated by the tours and dives, they look after the area.
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Empowers Africa has partnered with Dyer Island Conservation Trust in order to provide a cost-effective solution to fundraising in the United States by acting as their fiscal sponsor. Any donations made here will be granted to Dyer Island Conservation Trust.
Great White Shark Research
The seas around Dyer Island have one of the densest populations of great white sharks in the world creating a rare opportunity for the marine biologists of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust to conduct invaluable research from their dedicated research vessel, Lwazi which means ‘seeking knowledge’.
With sightings all year round, research activities include tagging and tracking of great white sharks, behavioural surveys, wound healing, environmental parameter monitoring as well as daily observational data that includes fin identification for population studies.
The great white shark has been protected in South Africa since 1991 and is listed on IUCN as vulnerable but should possibly and most likely be considered endangered.
Marine Pollution - Fishing Line Bins
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) officially launched the Fishing Line Recovery and Recycling Program along the Gansbaai shoreline in 2010. This innovative project of strategically placed unique fishing line bins aims to reduce the severe environmental damage caused by discarded fishing line on our coastline.
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The fishing line bin helps create public awareness about the negative impacts that fishing line debris has on marine life, water quality, and human welfare.
Environmental Education
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s Environmental Education Programme known as DEEP works with dedicated groups of young learners and runs for three years to monitor and evaluate the impact and growth of each and every individual learner.
Every October, we hold a marine month competition that reaches up to 20 000 students and focuses on relevant marine topics with output geared for different age groups.
African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary
The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) serves as a custom-designed, world class, marine bird rehabilitation centre in the Overstrand area. APSS provides temporary rehabilitative care to diseased, displaced, injured, oiled and abandoned marine birds with special focus on the endangered African Penguin.
Marine bird rescue, rehabilitation and release form part of the conservation management plan to conserve and maintain African Penguin populations, and other seabirds. Our focus is on rebuilding the Dyer Island population.
Since 2006, this project provides unique nests or ‘homes’ to help in the fledgling stage of the endangered African penguin. South Africa’s endemic penguin species would normally burrow into their mass deposits of guano but sadly, this was stripped by man over many decades and used for agricultural fertiliser.
The Story Behind the Name
Dyer Island received its name not from some Khoisan hunter-gatherer, but from an African-American, Mr. Samson Gabriel Dyer. He was born in Newport, USA on 9th September, 1773. He later moved to Nantucket where he worked on a whale boat as a harpooner.
The company Cloete, Reitz and Anderson immediately employed him as a harpooner for the whaling business in False Bay. They later sent him to an un-named island to cull seals and prepare the skins for the company. Apparently he also collected guano and sold it to farmers in the Overberg area, to be used as fertilizer. He was an excellent worker.
After 6 years of island life he married Margaretha Engel in 1813. Apparently she came from Elim and was 18 years younger than Samson. They had 4 children born from this marriage, 2 boys and 2 girls.
Samson Dyer was very successful on Dyer Island. According to old journals he was a very rich man in the Overberg and very well respected in all the communities. He probably was being paid commission by the company he worked for.
Johnstone Jardine, a librarian, interviewed Dyer during 1824. He wrote that - Samson Dyer is a most extraordinary man of uncommon industry, honesty and sobriety. He was the first to adventure onto the island at great risk and ever since the islands bore his name.
Challenges and Changes
The Dyer Island Nature Reserve, which lies roughly 8 kilometers off the South African coast near Gansbaai, has historically been home to one of the densest populations of remaining white sharks on the planet. But now, they seem to be gone.
Yet around 2016, white shark sightings in the area began to decrease. The dominant culprit, according to Alison Towner of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, was the arrival of two orcas.
At Dyer Island Nature Reserve as well, the recent decline in sharks has affected the seals, which normally avoid deep, open water during times of high predation risk.
On land, unpredictable shark sightings have impacted the tourism industry too. Since the first orca predation was recorded in 2017, figures for shark-cage diving in Gansbaai steadily dropped from its 2016 peak of 85,000 shark-cage divers for the year to 54,000 in 2019, Chivell says.
Despite these challenges, Chivell says shark-cage diving operators have managed to sustain their business thanks to concerted educational marketing efforts, which emphasized the possibility of still seeing a white shark as well as another species, the bronze whaler shark.
Visiting Dyer Island
Dyer Island is described as a gem by visitors who have had the opportunity to explore its waters. Reviewers highly recommend taking a trip to this destination, whether on a simple cruise, part of the Marine Big 5 adventure, or for shark diving.
Travelers advise booking early due to high demand but assure that the trip from Gansbaai is truly enjoyable.
Cage diving with great white sharks
Why You Should Visit
- Opportunity to see marine wildlife such as dolphins, penguins, whales, and seals.
- Possibility of encountering great white sharks during shark diving experiences.
- Scenic beauty of Dyer Island and its surroundings.
Tips Before You Go
- Consider participating in the Marine Big 5 adventure for a comprehensive wildlife experience.
- Book tours or activities early to secure your spot due to high demand.
- Visit during good weather conditions for optimal wildlife sightings.
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