South Africa offers an incredible diversity for the scuba diver ranging from diving with seals, exploring ship wrecks and kelp forests of the Cape to the sub tropical warm water of the East Coast.
Sodwana Bay boasts the worlds southern most coral reefs. Often referred to as "shark coast", we have the largest number of shark species, many of which can safely be encountered while diving. Examples are the Seven Gill Cow shark (Cape Town), pyjama and shy sharks, gully sharks (Cape Town), Great white sharks (coastal but not often seen unless cage diving), Tiger Sharks , Bull Sharks, Hammerheads, Blacktips, Guitar Sharks, Ragged Tooth Sharks/Sand Tiger Sharks, and a number of ray species all commonly seen in the warmer waters of the Aliwal shoal, Protea Banks and Sodwana Bay.
The warmer waters are home to a wide variety of tropical fish species, turtles and abundant colourful reefs while the cooler Cape Waters are home to many endemic species from tiny crabs to nudibranches, soft corals, kelp and sponges due to the unique situation where the warm Agalhas current mixes with the cold Benguela Current at the Cape.
South African dive centres are mainly PADI centres with a few NAUI centres. Dive boat charters have stringent controls and boats are checked regularly for seaworthiness. Skippers are all well qualified and experienced. Most centres will also provide nitrox.
Whether you come to South Africa for scuba diving or wildlife safari, the two can easily be combined to maximise the experience both on land and underwater.
A dive holiday combining the various diving in South Africa is often the ideal: start with a couple of days in Cape Town with sightseeing, scuba diving and maybe white shark cage diving. From there, fly to Durban where you can continue diving on the famous Aliwal Shoal. For the dive enthusiast, continue a few hours north to Sodwana Bay for coral reef diving. There are several safari lodges in this area as well to end off your holiday before flying home from Durban.
A package with 5 nights in Cape Town incl 4 boat dives, 1 day great white shark diving, 3 days at Aliwal Shoal incl 4 boat dives, 3 nights in Sodwana incl 4 boat dives and 2 nights at a game lodge including safari will cost you from ZAR 9 200-00 per person, flights and car hire exclusive.
If you are interested in specialized diving and/or are coming to see a special species, please contact us for seasonal information. |
