South Africa is undoubtedly one of the best SCUBA diving destinations in the world, with many coral reef, wreck and great white shark cage diving opportunities to choose from. All the South African dive site locations are easily accessible from well established launching sites.
Scuba diving in South Africa is among the best in the world. A SCUBA hotspot is the Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve which runs from Sodwana Bay in the south to Kosi Bay. There is good snorkelling at various places, but venturing into deeper waters with SCUBA gear, guarantees an up close and personal encounter with the most astounding variety of undersea life. More experienced divers try out spots along the Tsitsikamma coast. The ultimate SCUBA experience is shark diving, spending time underwater with 'raggies' (ragged-toothed) and great white sharks. Cage diving in shark waters is done off Gansbaai near Cape Town, free diving with sharks happens along the south coast of KwaZulu Natal: Protea Banks and Aliwal Shoal are renowned for their sightings.
South African SCUBA Diving Safaris are...
SCUBA diving in South Africa is a fast growing sport and of a high standard. All major organisation's qualifications are recognized -- PADI etc. and suitably qualified foriegn divers are welcome. Good quality dive gear is easily hired from dive organisations and specialist hire outlets. New and used gear is also available at all popular dives sites.
A note to the unititiated; the beach launches -- through the rough surf -- can be a bit scary for first timers. The South African skippers / boatmasters are very professional so there is nothing too fear -- just hang-on tight and enjoy the ride!
The South African coastline ranges from about 35°S to 27°S, and that means that one has a choice of diving in the cold waters of the Cape Province, the warmer waters of KwaZulu Natal.
«-» Coral Reef Diving «-» Shark Diving «-» White Shark Diving «-» Wreck Diving «-»
KwaZulu Natal is primarily for mantas, rays, sharks, wrecks, whales, dolphins, turtles, reef and pelagic fish, hard and soft coral reefs, and Mozambique for whale sharks, mantas, turtles, dugongs and tropical hard coral reefs. The Western & Eastern Cape Provinces are mostly good for wrecks, great white sharks, kelp and colourful sponges.
For snorkelling -- the easiest (and cheapest) way of exploring the rich marine life of the underwater world -- all you need is a pair of fins, a snorkel and a face mask.
If you would like to become a qualified SCUBA diver there are dive schools in almost every centre, with a surprising number in the landlocked Johannesburg area.
There is even an inland dive resort near Johannesburg where students can do their first dive or two in a disused quarry. Badgat is another, much deeper disused quarry in Mpumalanga where rebreather, mixed gas and deep diving courses are run.
South Africa's popular SCUBA diving sites are:
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