Iconic Underwater Restaurant Where You Get to Dine With Sharks

Are you on the hunt for a unique marine dining adventure? Then let’s introduce you to the ‘Cargo Hold’ restaurant. This place is not your average seafood joint, it offers an experience that’s pretty amazing.

Based on South Africa’s mythic ghost ship ‘The Phantom’, the ‘Cargo Hold’ restaurant is wonderfully incorporated into the popular uShaka aquarium.

As you sit down to a meal of fresh oysters and seafood in the cool atmosphere of the ship’s stern, you’ll be in awe as you watch Durban’s spectacular marine life – including its famous sharks – casually swimming by the windows.

To make it even more exciting, the restaurant is designed to give you the feeling of being shipwrecked, with a large part of the aquarium placed beneath the boat and a water ride that goes right through it.

This spot will surely spark thoughts of the many ghost tales that make up South Africa’s coastal history.

As the local stories go, at the start of the last century, the Phantom ship was spotted entering Durban harbour from the south.

As evening fell, it circled Durban’s Bluff headland with a lone blue-green light swaying at the front.

Dock workers waited for this intriguing ship – known for its distinct black and scarlet funnel and two masts – to enter the harbour, but it never did.

Weeks later, the ship reappeared in the same spot, only closer to the shore. It had no name, didn’t respond to any signals, and flew no flags.

Some thought it was lost, while others believed it was on a secret mission. Ultimately, as no reason for its presence was found, it etched itself in the local community as ‘The Phantom’.