SCUBA DIVE
Fitness
Medium
Location
Cape Peninsula
Adrenaline
Medium
Age
12+
Duration
Varies
The Cape waters has some of te most unique marine life you will find anywhere in the world. The colder Benguela current coming from the south and the warmer Agulhas current from the east creates an environment with an abundance of life.
Most of the marine life can be found in the vast kelp forests and reefs around the Cape Peninsula. These kelp forests and reefs can be reach by either a shore entry or by boat.
Dotted around the Cape are various wrecks from boats that sunk either because of the fury of mother nature or scuttled to create artificial reefs. Most wrecks can only be reached by doing a boat dive, but a few can be explored from shore.
Table Bay, Hout Bay and False Bay are all situated in different directions and sheltered by the Table Mountain range running the full lenght of the Cape Peninsula. Irrespective of the wind and swell direction, diving conditions will normally be good in at least one of the three bays. The advantage of having the three bays in a relative short distance is that we can easily take you to the location with the best conditions on the day.
Popular reef dives
Reef dives are easy and ideal for people just starting out in scuba diving. It is great way to explore the kelp forests and the marine life that surround the coast. You normally only need an Open Water qualification to do these dives.
Sandy Cove
This is the perfect spot for beginner divers. Sandy Cove is sandy reef with a few rocks in a small sheltered bay. This is a big local favorite.
Depth
5-9m/
16-30ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
Yes
Additional Equipment
Compass
Best Time
October-May
Location
Cosy Beach, Oudekraal
<< Press on pin to open a map.
Justin's Caves
This is one of the most colourful dive sites in Cape Town. A combination of big boulders create some underwater caves and swim throughs. The whole area is surrounded by a beautiful kelp forest. The rocky reef is covered with nudibranch colonies, mussels, loads of sponges, sea urchins, brightly coloured sea anemones and even some soft and hard corals. Read more here > Wikitravel
Depth
7-14m/
23-45ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
Yes
Additional Equipment
Torch & Compass
Best Time
October-May
Location
Opposite the Twelve Apostles Hotel, Oudekraal
<< Press on pin to open a map.
A-Frame
This site is great for beginner divers, but also offer more experience divers some interesting aspects. Rocky overhangs create swim-throughs and is covered with sponges, sea anomones, mussels, abalone and some corals. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
5-10m/
16-33ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
No
Additional Equipment
Torch & Compass
Best Time
May-October
Location
Oatlands, Simons Town
<< Press on pin to open a map.
Windmill Beach
This site is close to the very popular Boulders Beach, home of the African Penguin. It has a sandy bottom with big boulders inshore and a couple of pinnacles to the North-east. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
8-10m/
26-33ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
Yes
Additional Equipment
Torch & Compass
Best Time
May-October
Location
Simons Town, close to Boulders beach
<< Press on pin to open a map.
Popular wreck dives
Since the first European boat under the command of Bartolomeu Dias successfully sailed around the Cape back in 1488, about 800 boats have perished on its shores. This has left Cape Town with a rich collection of excellent shipwrecks to explore. Most of these shipwrecks can only be reached by boat and you need an Advanced Qualification to dive on them.
SAS Pietermaritzburg (PMB)
The ship was originally called the HMS Pelorus and was used as a ocean minesweeper that formed part of Britain's Royal Naval fleet. The HMS Pelorus led the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 (D-Day), sweeping the area for mines before the rest of the fleet attacked. It was later sold to the South African Navy and renamed SAS Pietermaritzburg. It was scuttled at the end of 1994 to form an artificial reef in False Bay. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
17-22m/
55-72ft
Boat Dive
Qualification
Advanced Open Water
Night Dives
Yes
Additional Equipment
Torch
Best Time
May-October
Location
1km Offshore from Millers Point
<< Press on pin to open a map.
SS Maori
This steam ship was built in the 1880's and served as a British cargo boat. It ran aground on 5 August 1909 in bad weather, on her way from London to New Zealand. The wreck is one of the most popular ship wrecks in Cape Town to dive on and is still in an amazing condition. Highlights of this dive is the steam engines and cargo that is still there. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
13-21m/
43-69ft
Boat Dive
Qualification
Advanced Open Water
Night Dives
No
Additional Equipment
Torch,
7mm+ wetsuit
Best Time
October-May
Location
7.5km from Hout Bay Harbour on the Karbonkelberg shore line.
<< Press on pin to open a map.
MV Antipolis
The Antipolis is a very easy wreck to dive on, you only need an Open Water qualification. It needs a bit of scrambling to get to the water from the road and then again through some thick kelp, but the wreck is only 20m offshore. The Antipolis was a tanker that was towed from Greece to the Far East with another tanker, the Romelia. In a heavy storm the towline broke and the Antipolis ran aground at Oudekraal. The wreck was still used as a nightclub until the structure become unstable and it was cut down to water level. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
7-10m/
23-33ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
No
Additional Equipment
Torch
Best Time
May-October
Location
Opposite the Twelve Apostles Hotel, Oudekraal
<< Press on pin to open a map.
SS Clan Stuart
The Clan Stuart is one of the easiest wrecks to dive on in False Bay. The most difficult part is maybe to get to the beach from the road. It lays only 100m from shore in shallow water. Although it ran aground on 21 November 2014 much of the frame, engine, shaft and propeller can still be explored. This British steamer weighing around 3500 tons and with her anchor dragging was blown to shore by a very strong South Easter. It is best to dive the wreck on a more Westerly wind. Read more here >Wikitravel
Depth
7-9m/
23-30ft
Shore Dive
Qualification
Open Water
Night Dives
Yes
Additional Equipment
Torch
Best Time
May-October
Smitswinkel Bay Wrecks
The Smitswinkel Bay area is on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula. About 5.1km/3.2mi from Millers Point lays 5 wrecks within 400m from each other. All 5 wrecks can be dived on one dive.
The MV Rockeater was originally built as an US Navy coastal freighter. From 1964 it was used for marine prospecting in South Africa and in 1972 it was scuttled after it became unseaworthy.
The SAS Transvaal and the SAS Good Hope were Loch class Frigates build during the 1940's. The SAS Good Hope was for many years the flagship of the SA Navy. They were eventually sold as scrap and scuttled in 1978.
The MV Orotava and the MV Princess Elizabeth were two steel trawlers that were donated to the False Bay Conservation Society and that were scuttled in 1983. Read more about the wrecks and diving them here. In order of diving: SAS Transvaal; MV Orotava; MV Princess Elizabeth; SAS Good Hope; MV Rockeater;
Depth
21-36/
69-118ft
Boat Dive
Qualification
Advanced Open Water
Night Dives
No
Additional Equipment
Torch; DSMB/SMB; Compass
Best Time
October-May
Location
Smitswinkel Bay. Launch from Millers Point
<< Press on pin to open a map.
Operating Times
Price - Single Dives excl. equipment
Price - Dive packages
Included in Dive packages
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