| Traditional perceptions of holidays in South Africa | | | | legendary sites in Sodwana Bay, Aliwal Shoals and |
| conjure up images of vast open plains, roaring lions and | | | | Protea Banks which are found further north within |
| beautiful game lodges, names of regions such as the | | | | KwaZulu Natal. Whilst there is a great diversity of |
| Kruger National Park immediately come into people's | | | | diving on offer throughout South Africa, it would be |
| minds. | | | | safe to say that the standard of diving here is of a |
| What is less well known is the incredible diversity of | | | | consistently high standard, with each site having |
| scuba diving that is on offer for visitors of all levels of | | | | something to offer the majority of divers. |
| experience. From the cooler waters around the | | | | Located within the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, |
| Western Cape, up to the tropical waters around | | | | Sodwana Bay is arguably the pick of the fantastic |
| Sodwana Bay near the Mozambique border. South | | | | dive sites in South Africa. Its warm, clear waters, and |
| Africa undoubtedly offers some of the finest scuba | | | | stunning reefs and rich variety of corals act merely as |
| diving throughout Africa, and in sites such as Protea | | | | a veneer to what rich rewards lie within these beautiful |
| Banks, Aliwal Shoals and Sodwana Bay, arguably | | | | waters. Huge Potato Bass, morays and manta rays |
| some of the best in the world. | | | | are all regular inhabitants of sites such as Nine Mile |
| The nature of the scuba diving off the coast of South | | | | Reef, Three Mile Reef and Antons. |
| Africa tends to be dictated by its unique geographical | | | | Despite this rich variety of marine and coral life in the |
| location on the southernmost tip of Africa, the meeting | | | | waters of Sodwana Bay, it is the opportunities for |
| point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The area | | | | scuba diving with the large populations of sharks, and |
| around Cape Town and the Western Cape tends to | | | | particularly the Ragged Tooth Sharks that people visit |
| offer diving in cooler waters, typically with lower | | | | the region. Here in Sodwana Bay, as well as Protea |
| visibility. Whereas further up the coast towards | | | | Banks and Aliwal Shoals, are some of the finest shark |
| KwaZulu Natal, an increase in the water temperatures | | | | diving locations in world. Alongside the Ragged Tooth |
| and visibility tends to offer diving more in keeping with | | | | sharks, large populations of Bull Sharks, Thresher |
| more tropical locations. | | | | Sharks and Hammerheads regularly inhabit the waters |
| Understandably, the large variation in the water | | | | off the coast of KwaZulu Natal. |
| temperatures, have resulted in a variety of different | | | | Diving in South Africa is available all year round, |
| marine life inhabiting the coast line of South Africa, | | | | although the majority of visitors to the region tend to |
| ranging from the notorious Great White Sharks found | | | | visit during the summer months of late November |
| around the Gansbaai and Cape Town areas, through | | | | through to February. Water temperatures vary greatly |
| to the dolphins and manta rays of tropical Sodwana | | | | with location, with the Atlantic Ocean cooling the |
| Bay. | | | | waters off the Western Cape to around 10 - 14 |
| The scuba diving in South Africa tends to focus | | | | degrees Celsius whereas the more tropical waters |
| predominantly around two main regions, the Western | | | | around Sodwana Bay tend to average around 20 - 21 |
| Cape and the Garden Route, and the almost | | | | degrees. |