Diving in South Africa

If you have never dived, this is the time for you to look at how to obtain a diving qualification and be able to practice this activity around the world. Can you imagine diving into South African waters?

Cape Town: The great white shark

Cape Town has recently become one of the most visited tourist destinations. The great attraction of its cultural and geographical diversity provides a wide range of experiences without having to travel long distances.



Diving

Cape Town offers cold water diving, particularly in the Atlantic coast area, where temperatures below 10ºC are not unknown.

The incredible encounter with the Great White: Cage dives with this species take place in a channel between two uninhabited islands in Gansbaai. The departures are daily and consist of spraying the sea with bait while waiting for the big meeting. Once the sharks appear, the divers take approximately 30-minute shifts inside the cages. Many times, as a result of the minimal visibility of this water, the spectacle is just as exciting from the boat as it is inside the cage.



Cage diving is available practically all year round, although the possibility of encounters varies depending on the season, being particularly good from March to September.

Diving with seals

The dives with these friendly creatures are exciting. A colony of countless specimens lives on Duiker Island, as soon as the divers are in the water, they come to play, biting the fins and staring with their large and brown eyes. Ideal models for the most demanding photographers.



Diving with penguins

Boulders Beach, near Simon's Town is home to an interesting colony of African penguins. This dive is suitable for all divers.

Accommodation: The most comfortable and economical form of accommodation is in what they call "bed & breakfast", where those staying will enjoy South African hospitality. These are typical houses that have very few rooms in which bathroom is located.



For those who want more luxurious accommodations, there are hotels of various categories in Cape Town, although they are located around 2 hours by road from Gansbaai, where the dives take place.

Aliwal shoal & Protea Banks: The Indian Ocean

Aliwal Shoal is 5 km away. from the town Umkomaas and 60 km south of Durban.

Diving

These reefs stretch 3 km long by 300 meters wide and offer spectacular and exciting diving. Just seeing the names of some of its points gives us a rough idea of ​​what to expect: "the amphitheater", "the shark ravine", "shark cave", "Lionfish hole"...

Although invertebrates are abundant, with large gorgonians, soft coral and sponges, the big attraction is the gray nurse sharks. A very peculiar phenomenon in the congregation of these sharks in caves during the winter months. On average, more than 10 sharks can be seen on a dive, although as many as 50 have been seen, which offers exceptional photographic opportunities, especially because divers can get quite close to the sharks.



The northeast pinnacles rise up to 2 meters. We found that below the surface, while most of the reefs are between 10 and 27 meters. This area is famous for its strong gusts of wind and also its sudden changes in currents, so all dives are drifting, guided by competent instructors who know the reef inside out. Due to these not easy weather conditions, many sunken ships are found in this area.

For the most experienced divers, the recently discovered Protea Banks offers exciting encounters with sharks and other pelagics, manta rays, dolphins, billfish,... The reef is full of caves and ledges, with deep between 25 and 60 meters. The best time to dive in these reefs is from July to November. In July and August the gray nurse sharks congregate here to mate. August brings the sardine, which attracts the copper shark and hundreds of fish, a veritable feast for hammerheads, Zambezi and tiger sharks. .



Accommodation: Accommodation is provided in bed & breakfast guest houses. A great option with a fun atmosphere and sometimes better service than local hotels.

Sodwana Bay: Mecca of South African diving

Undoubtedly one of the most important diving areas in South Africa, Sodwana is visited by 100,000 divers each year. Resting in the waters of the "Agulhas" current, the reefs are the perfect nursery for a great diversity of creatures. Around 1,200 species of fish live in this area, declared a marine reserve.



Diving

Sodwana does not form a continuous reef, but is clearly divided into several cliffs formed parallel to the shore. Composed of rock covered with hard coral and sponges, their depths range between 15 and 30 meters. Big boats of goatfish, groupers, moray eels, rays... are quite common. Visibility can change between 10 and 30 meters.



The best time to dive in Sodwana Bay is between November and June. In January the female gray nurse shark arrives to gestate, so they are very calm and peaceful. It is quite common to dive in large schools of this shark.

Accommodation: Sodwana BAY Lodge is situated behind large sand dunes facing a freshwater lake. The lodge blends in with its charming surroundings, the bungalows are usually connected by some wooden corridors between each house.