Cow sharks
Swim, Snorkel, Dive, See, Meet, Watch the Cow sharks
The Cow shark can reach up to 3.5 meters in length and is characterized by seven gills and the absence of the famous dorsal fin that usually symbolizes sharks. They are the most primitive of all sharks with a skeleton and an excretory and digestive system that has remained unchanged for millions of years. This curious animal appears quite lethargic. It likes to rub against divers and is generally not aggressive. Cow sharks like to gather in schools of about twenty individuals in kelp forests. They can be observed in South Africa in Cape Town, Simmon's Town (False Bay) and Madagascar.
CHECK SEASONALITY
Hexanchidae
Macro
Cow shark, Requin vache, Requin tacheté
Food
The Cow shark feeds on fish, small sharks, crustaceans, and carrion.
Breeding
The size of the Cow shark can be up to 3.5 m long. They are ovoviviparous. The female keeps the eggs in her body until they hatch. This shark feeds on fish, small sharks, crustaceans and carrion flesh.
Dive centers
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Pisces Divers
South Africa
- Simon’s Town
Pisces Divers dive center is located in Cape Town, South Africa. Closed on Mondays, it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. Meetings at the center take place at 6 a.m. for mako and blue shark outings, at 9 a.m. for outings at Cap Point. The return to the center takes place at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. with a hot shower, coffee or tea, and the debriefing of the dive trip. On-site, you will find a store, maintenance workshop, stock of rental equipment, and an air and nitrox filling station. The Pisces Divers training center, PADI 5 stars, welcomes children with Seal Team and Bubblemaker programs, offers courses from Scuba Diver to Instructor, and certifies freedivers.
Guided dives are conducted from shore on the Cape Peninsula to False Bay, the marine reserve. You evolve in kelp forests serving as a refuge for 80 listed species of nudibranchs, with lobsters, anemones, starfish, sponges, gorgonians, octopuses, and cuttlefish. 34 known species of Klipvis goby fish (Clinus superciliosus) are also listed here. Breathtaking dives are also offered from Simonstown at Pyramid Rock, to meet the Sevengill shark, the Cowsharks, visible at 12 meters deep. There are up to 30 Cowsharks in the channel between Pyramid Rock and the shore.
Photographer divers, inquire before coming because there is seasonality for certain types of sharks. The Pisces Divers club is perfect for watching the playful Cape Fur Seals who come to watch the divers under their noses. The explorations on the wrecks of the Maori, Astor, Katzu Maru, the SAS Pietermaritzburg, and the 5 wrecks of Smitswinkel Bay, are selected according to the levels of the divers. From November to June, do not miss the excursion off Cape Point to observe blue sharks and Mako sharks.
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- Cape fur Seals Watching
- Cowsharks Watching
- Blue sharks Watching
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Into the Blue
South Africa
- Cape Town

Into The Blue Scuba Dive is located in Cape Town, South Africa. Offers packages with free transfers from the hotel to the dive Center. Wi-Fi in the shop. Used equipment rinsing. Rental of good quality and well maintained equipment. Go to the store at 8 am to deal with the administration stuff and examine the equipment. 30 mn to 1 h to the dive site. Time for briefing and setting up, approximately 30 mn. A 10 minutes’ boat trip to get just above the site. About 1 h in the water. Bring snacks, a bath towel, a swimsuit and sunscreen. From October to May, outings for beginners around the Cape, leaving from the shore, with laminaria forests, brightly colored colonies of Nudibranches, Rays, clusters of Mussels, Sponges, Jellyfish and even soft and hard corals . The most colorful diving in Cape Town is opposite the The Twelve Apostles Hotel in Oudekraal. With Sharks Shyshark and Cow Sharks. Exploration also the remains of the oil tanker Antipolis, 20 m from the coast. To see : The engine room with the boilers. Discover the Pietermaritzburg, 70 m long, 1 km from Millers Point and the 122 m long Maori SS, off the rocky coastline of Karbonkelberg, about 7.5 km from Hout Bay harbor. To see : the steam engines, the railway lines for the freight. In Smitswinkel Bay, there are five wrecks to visit in one dive ! Also, smashing dives from Cape Town, Strawberry Rock, Partridge Point and Duiker Island with the so agile, playful and curious seals . [+]
- Near Downtown area
- Different diving area
- Shore diving
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