Diving is possible along most of the South African coast, from Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope along the east coast on the Indian Ocean all the way up to Mozambique.
Starting with Cape Town, the diving is cold as the next stop southwards is the Antarctic! You have the choice here of diving either the Indian Ocean, as with the rest of the country, or trying the Atlantic Ocean, which can offer cold water with rocky reefs and kelp beds. On the Indian Ocean side the water can be slightly warmer and filled with slightly more choice of marine life.
Both shore and boat driving is available from Cape Town with many excellent reefs and wreck sites available to choose from. Have a look at what is on offer around the Cape Point Nature Reserve, which includes many wrecks such as the Portuguese Lusitania liner (which shares its name with the famous World War 1 ship). Tell people that you have dived on the Lusitania and forget to tell them it is only a namesake and watch their jaws drop! The wreck is well broken up, but there is still plenty of the wreck to explore.
There are also some intentional wrecks in this area, sunk to form an artificial reef for the area. These are a diamond dredger names the Rockeater as well as Elizabeth, Oratava, SAS Transvaal and SAS Good Hope. Also sunk to form an artificial diving reef in the area is the SAS Pietermaritzberg, which in its surface life acted as a minesweeper.
There is also an accidental wreck in the form of the British steamer the Maori, which was sank in 1909 after running aground after leaving Hout Bay. Even though it is over a century since the ship sank, it is in a sheltered position and still remains fairly intact to dive and explore.
There are also natural reefs to explore. Try the Outer Castle Reef where you might be able to find the unusual and strangely named Pyjama Cat Shark plus the usual reef marine suspects on offer. Or you could try diving with the Cape Fur seals at Duiker Island.
Of course, discussing diving in South Africa would not be complete without talking about the White Shark cage diving experiences. From the town of Gaansbaai you can embark on one of these experiences to Shark Alley between Dyer and Geyser islands. Unfortunately, there are so many tourists and operators that a sighting of the sharks can is not only an excellent thrill, but also like a conveyor belt of divers and you have to wonder with the sharks free and the humans in the cages, who is watching who.
If you are ready to find out more about the operators diving in South Africa and find who to dive with, pop over to godiving.org. There are plenty of South African diving reviews about the operators in the area.
Keith Lunt owns and writes for godiving.org, a supply of worldwide diving reviews and information about diving gear.
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