Spontaneity and scuba diving in South Africa
South Africa has a culture of water activities. It’s not difficult to gravitate naturally to the shores because most of the country is ring fenced by shoreline – almost 3 000 km of it – where scuba diving, snorkelling, wake boarding, kite surfing, water skiing, surfskiing, windsurfing and regular surfing abound. And, because of South Africa’s varying conditions when comparing west coast, south coast, and east coast, the proponents of water sports will enjoy different experiences in each sport, no matter where they are on the coastline. The same goes for scuba diving, so South Africa is a great place to learn how to scuba dive.
Sodwana Bay in the north
It’s perhaps better to learn to scuba dive in warmer waters, so Sodwana Bay would be the ideal spot, especially because just of the coast lie the southernmost coral reefs in the world. This can be explained by the warm Indian Ocean current coming down from Mozambique and influencing water conditions along the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. There is a whole series of reefs near Sodwana Bay, where divers will experience a rainbow of colour in the form of hard and soft corals, anemones, and reef fish, or catch a glimpse of the magnificent but docile whale shark.
Umhlanga in the east
A bit further down the coast, there are a whole host of diving schools in amongst the Umhlanga accommodation and other holiday resorts. Diving in and around the main Durban area means that divers might get to see dolphins, turtles, and other warm-water or tropical sea life. The Durban Undersea Club will point new divers in the direction of the Indian Ocean’s famous shipwrecks, which are favourite dive spots for locals and visitors. Divers may hear shipwreck names such as The Odd, Ovington Court, Coopers Light Wreck, Fontao, T Barge, The Kate and the Kadie – then they’ll know they’re in the right place.
Cape Town and the cold west
The further long the south coast divers travel, the more interesting the dive sights become, but it’s not until they reach the cold Atlantic waters in Cape Town that things really change. Aside from the numerous ships that were wrecked off the Cape of Storms (not called that for nothing), there are also amazing kelp forests. It’s also the only place in the world where the three major types of kelp all grow together in one spot. Cold water diving may take some time to get used to, but new divers will see the value in the uncomfortable, thick diving suit, and tight hoodie and gloves. There is a whole world of life, colour, and spectacular sightings to see underwater.
