Diving in South Africa
If it's variety you're after, you've come to the right place. South Africa has an enormously long coastline ranging from about 35°S to 27°S, which isn't quite within the usual range of tropical diving!
But the Mozambique Current flows down our East Coast, bringing warm tropical water with it, and at Sodwana Bay we have the most southerly coral reefs in the world. Of course, they have the full complement of pretty colourful fish and some great nudibranchs, including the outrageous Spanish dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineas).
Whale sharks, turtles, dolphins and ragged-tooth sharks (Carcharias taurus) are often seen in specific places in along the South African Coast.
And then, as you head down the coast of South Africa, the underwater fauna and flora change gradually until, once you've reached Cape Town, you're diving in chilly but beautiful kelp forests.
There are three major types of kelp, and a short portion of the Western Cape coast is the only place in the world that they all grow together. If you've always shunned cold water diving, consider it.
Sure, you do have to dress up in a great thick wetsuit with constraining hoodie and gloves, but it's worth it. Diving in kelp is like walking in a forest. You float beneath the canopy and admire the surprisingly colourful reef life.
Off Cape Town, divers regularly see anemones in colours ranging from electric blue or deep red to pale pink, nudibranchs of almost every colour you can imagine, and a whole range of small creatures in and around the bright orange and sulphur yellow sponges.
There are dive schools in almost every centre in South Africa- with a surprising number in the landlocked Johannesburg area. Perhaps it's not so surprising: most people do their training up there and then head down to Sodwana Bay for their qualifying dives.
There is even an inland dive resort near Johannesburg, where students can do their first dive or two in a disused quarry. Komati Springs is a much deeper disused quarry in Mpumalanga where rebreather, mixed gas and deep diving courses are run.
When you come here to dive our wonderful reefs, do take careful note of your no-fly limits. A flight from sea level to Johannesburg can take only an hour, and you gain 2 000 metres (7 000ft) in altitude - that's without even considering the flight.
This really is a major risk, so adjust your itinerary to include a day of sightseeing, shopping or beach lounging between diving and flying to Johannesburg. Even driving to Johannesburg immediately after a dive, for example at Sodwana Bay or Durban, can put you at risk, as the drive is only six hours. Source: South African Tourism
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Diving at Sodwana Bay
Photo by Gert Groenwald. Copyright SA Tourism
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