Do you fancy yourself as a bit of an adrenalin-junkie? Forget about diving with Great White sharks; the ultimate aquatic thrill has just been launched in Oudtshoorn with the world's first crocodile cage dive!

The 'Croc Cage Diving' is the brainchild of the Cango Wildlife Ranch's Andrew Eriksen, who says that it is based on the same principles as shark cage diving. The main difference being that while sharks generally tend to treat humans with disdain, crocodiles see man as their natural prey!

Brave visitors (you have to be older than 12) are lowered in a specially designed croc-proof cage into a crystal clear heated crocodile pool inhabited by five four-metre Nile crocodiles. To make it accessible to all the Ranch’s visitors, divers go underwater with goggles and snorkel so that no scuba training is required. Divers brave enough to swim with these ferocious carnivores are given an underwater photograph of themselves surrounded by crocs to prove that they did it!

Special consideration and planning went into creating the dive cage and crane system as crocodiles are incredibly powerful, boasting a bite pressure of over two tons per square inch… that's four times the bite of a Great White shark! A strong cage is also highly recommended due to the crocodiles' man-eating habits — the crocodiles spend their time sizing up the cage diver up as a potential snack, so Croc Cage Diving is definitely not for the faint-hearted!

Valley of Ancients
The Croc Cage Diving forms part of the new 'Valley of Ancients' development at the Cango Wildlife Ranch, which was completed in November 2005. The new development now incorporates a guided tour where visitors are transported back in time to when the earth was young, the ancients ruled and man and reptile were on equal footing.

Exotic Madagascar is the first stop, where visitors have the privilege of spotting the rare ring-tailed lemur sharing their habitat with pretty pink flamingos at Lemur Island. Brave tourists are then invited to cross Snapper Gorge via a hanging bridge suspended over the 'Croc Cage' pool where the four-meter Nile crocodiles patrol the waters.

Continuing your journey you will stumble upon a Pygmy Village and be enticed into the heart of Africa where the impact of the indigenous Pygmy people on the Pygmy hippos is explained. Following the trail past frolicking spotted neck otters and memorable Marabou Storks you will gasp at the sheer power of crocodiles and the bravery of the guides as the mighty crocs are encouraged to leap for their lunch at the Jumping Jaws pool.

The ever-popular Cheetahland now also includes the only white tiger demonstrations in the whole of Africa. Feel your skin break out in goose bumps as you witness the fascinating bond between the trainers and their rare white Bengal tigers during the Tiger Encounter Demonstration.

The next phase of the Valley of Ancients — scheduled for early 2006 — will include an underwater viewing tunnel, tropical mangrove jungle, water life show, a tiger auditorium, walk-through aviaries and even more endangered big cats.

For more information, visit the Cango Wildlife Ranch.