Gansbaai, Overberg

Gansbaai is the natural adventure destination, is home to the highest density of Great White Sharks in the World and from July to December, the temporary home for the Southern Right Whales, who come to our shore to mate, birth and raise their young. These two spectacular marine creatures draw visitors and film crews from all over the World.

Originally, and still, a vibrant fishing Village, locals have a strong relationship with the Sea and the Harbour is still the point of gravity in Town for fishing and boating. If you need a craftsman on the first day of the lobster season, forget about it, they are out fishing. In almost every driveway in Gansbaai, you can see a trailer with a boat parked next to the family car.

In spite of the developing Tourism Industry, the fishing industry is still the economic heartbeat of Gansbaai. The fleet of fishing boats and the fish canning and fishmeal factory in the Harbour employ a substantial number of people from local communities. It is a great point of interest as the fishing trawlers leave harbour to return later with their daily catch to unload into the factory or waiting trucks, providing a vibrant bustling atmosphere. It is little wonder and with gratitude that we sometimes have the smell of fish in the air as the factory fires up to process and package its produce to meet market demands. A number of Abalone Farms provide another level of employment and income for the village, which produces and cans this traditional local culinary delight sought after in Asian countries.

The more Rural Areas of Gansbaai have nurtured and sustainably worked the fynbos and land to produce amazing wines, fynbos picked flower industries and a strong conservation ethic. Rustic Wedding Venues and accommodation have evolved for the eco-conscious traveler. Hiking trails, trail running routes and mountain bike routes are a major attraction if not a challenge in many cases.

Cameron Ewart-Smith; Getaway Magazine March 2003

Gansbaai was originally called: 'Gansgat', a name derived from the wild geese that abounded there. Its origin as a fishing village is probably linked with the wreck of the troopship Birkenhead off Danger Point on 26 Feb. 1852, after which a number of survivors settled there and existed on gardening and on what the sea could offer. Afrikaans-speaking families with English names, descendants from these early settlers, are still living in Gansbaai. The village was laid out on the farm; 'Strandfontein'.

From the earliest days fishing has been the chief source of income, but as a result of the isolation of the village, the poor communications and the perishable nature of fish, the fishermen led a life of poverty and struggle. The growing demand for vitamin A during the Second World War - mainly to supply the army - brought relief to Cans Bay. The tope or grey shark (Ga-leorhinus galeus), which had before been regarded by local fishermen as a nuisance, was turned into a lucrative source of income! This is because the liver of this shark is rich in vitamin A, and a small factory was set up in 1939 to process these livers for oil. As the industry progressed the factory was revolutionized and it brought economical prosperity to Gansbaai! After the war though, when the demand for vitamin A dwindled, shark fishing no longer proved profitable and the fishermen were again faced with hardship. Until then only the livers of the grey shark were considered to be of any value, the carcasses being discarded as waste. In order to save the industry from total collapse an outlet was sought for these carcasses. It was then that the foresight, resourcefulness and initiative of J. R. Barnard, the local school principal, came to the rescue. In April 1950 he convened a meeting of local fishermen and proposed the forming of a co-operative society. The idea was enthusiastically received, the Fisheries Development Corporation was approached for assistance and the capital obtained for the establishment of the first fisheries co-operative in South Africa in 1952. The possibilities of marketing shark flesh were explored, and markets for dried shark flesh were found in various African states, chiefly in the Congo. The sharks' fins - long regarded as a delicacy in the East - are exported to the Far East.