With a coastline stretching over 2500 kilometres from Alexander Bay on the icy Atlantic to Kosi Bay in sub-tropical KwaZulu-Natal, it’s no surprise that South Africa’s oceans boast some outstanding dive spots. Whether you’re admiring the subtle beauty to be found in the chilly Cape waters or enjoying the tropical aquarium of the east coast you’ll find a reef with your name on it…
Cape Columbine
The kelp forests of Cape Columbine are filled with neoprene-clad holidaymakers in the summer months, but you won’t find any scuba tanks here. This is one of the best spots on the West Coast to free-dive for the prized – and tasty – Cape Rock Lobster. Camp in the reserve at the legendary Tietiesbaai which is named, allegedly, after the granite boulders along the shoreline. Diving for crayfish is restricted to certain times of the year, and a permit is required. Enquire at any post office.
Justin’s Caves
Cape Town offers dozens of dive sites, but in the summer months you’ll want to be on the icy Atlantic side, where the prevailing south-easter ensures crystal-clear waters. Add a dash of glamour to a day of diving by suiting up at Justin’s Caves, an underwater playground of jumbled granite. The 12 Apostles Hotel across the road is perfect for an after-dive drink.
False Bay
The warmer waters of False Bay offer a wonderful range of dive options catering for all skill levels. Experienced divers should hop on a charter boat and head for the wrecks of Smitswinkel Bay (35m). The five ships scuttled here were sunk in the 1970s to form an artificial reef, and are today covered with marine life.
Not far from ‘Smits’, A-Frame and Windmill beach are great options for novice divers. Easy shore entries and shallow waters allow you to relax and search for the resident dogfish and pyjama sharks.
If you’re feeling brave Whittle Rock in the middle of the Bay is an outstanding site, but is also popular with Great White sharks so a quick descent is essential!
Big adventure in Kleinbaai
If sharks are your cup of tea, then you’ll need to make the daytrip out to Kleinbaai. Billed as the Great White Shark capital of the world, these awesome predators are drawn here by the 60 000 seals resident on Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. There are a number of cage-dive operators in Kleinbaai, but I’d highly recommend White Shark Projects, who have been running shark-trips since 1989 and offer a well-organised, informative and exciting half-day trip.
Protea Banks
You’ll find sharks aplenty on this challenging dive site two hours south of Durban and 8-kilometres offshore. Dropping down to 40m you’ll find Zambezi, Tiger, Hammerhead, Dusky, Ragged Tooth and Black Tip sharks hunting on the Banks, along with a wide variety of reef life. Strike it lucky and you may spot manta rays and whales cruising past. It’s a deep dive with a strong current, so it’s for experienced adventure divers only.
Aliwal Shoal
An hour’s drive further north; Aliwal is perhaps a little more forgiving. One of SA’s most popular sites, the diving is best from May to September when the visibility is good and Ragged Tooth sharks are resident. Regularly rated as one of the top 10 dive sites on the planet, Aliwal Shoal has something for everyone. Lionfish Hole (16m) and The Pinnacles (15m) are well suited for novice divers, while the more adventurous can drop to 30m and explore the wreck of The Nebo, which ran aground in 1884 and is still well preserved. The Produce, wrecked in 1974, lies on its side to the north of the Shoal and is a good place to spot migratory game fish.
Diving on the South Coast is also ideal for families as the area has lots to keep non-divers entertained, from safe swimming beaches to shopping malls, restaurants and golf courses.
The North Coast
The stretches of sand north of Durban have also become a popular holiday playground throughout the year and, while not as spectacular as the southern reefs, the seas around Umhlanga do offer some great diving. Reefs in this area tend to be closer in-shore, which means a shorter boat-ride but often less visibility. Winter months are best, when there’s lower rainfall and offshore winds. The T-Barge (27m) and The Trawler (26m) are the best dives in the area, both artificial reefs home to a dazzling array of reef and pelagic fish.
Sodwana Bay
If you’re an avid bubble-blower then skip Umhlanga and keep heading north. Past Richard’s Bay, past the game reserves of Hluhluwe-Unfolozi and on to Sodwana Bay… the Mecca of diving in South Africa.
Thanks to the warm waters brought down from the topics by the Mozambique current, Sodwana Bay is home to the southernmost coral reefs in the world. Most of the Sodwana reefs are between 500m and one kilometre offshore, and 8-14 kilometres north of Sodwana. Reefs are named according to their distance from the launch site at Jesser Point, with Five-Mile, Seven-Mile and Nine-Mile reefs the most famous.
Once you’ve made it through the crashing surf (divers help push the boats into the water before hopping on board!), scooted up the coast and dropped anchor, a watery wonderland waits. The pristine coral teems with a huge variety of marine life and, if you’re lucky, you could spot turtles, dolphins or even a whale shark. Between October and February loggerhead and leatherback turtles lay their eggs on the beaches, and it’s well worth joining one of the excellent night tours run by accredited tour operators.
These turtles, like the many tourists who flock here, come from across the globe to enjoy the warm waters, pristine coastline and soft-sand beaches. If these ocean explorers choose to land up on South Africa’s coastline, why shouldn’t you?
First published in Indwe magazine; the in-flight mag of SA Express
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