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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Daeyang Family

The dive site MV Daeyang Family is an offshore recent wreck on rocky reef in the Robben Island area, on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula near Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is the wreck of a very large ship. It is very broken up as it is in an area of high energy wave action, but parts of the wreck are still quite awesome to see for the sheer size. The wreck is conveniently near a launch site, and is shallow enough for beginners to dive if the sea is flat enough.

Position
A short distance from the navigation buoy at Whale Rock.
 * S33°50.388' E18°23.133'
 * S33°50.416' E18°23.195'

This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area since 2019. A permit is required.

Name
The MV Daeyang Family was a large Korean ore carrier which was wrecked on Whale Rock on 1st March 1986 when anchors dragged in heavy weather, with a cargo of 162000 tonnes of ore.

Depth
The wreck lies on a bottom that varies from about 15 m to about 19 m. The shallowest point is on top of the engine block at about 5 m. Most of the wreckage is low and not more than 2 to 3 m above the underlying reef.

Visibility
Visibility is not often good, as the wreck is very close to Whale Rock, where there is a break in all but the flattest conditions. On a good day visibility may exceed 10m.

Topography
The underlying reef is fairly low profile, and is a blocky sedimentary rock, probably hard sandstones. The low areas are covered by angular grit of about 6 mm, which may be the remains of the cargo.

The wreck itself is very broken up. The hull form is unrecognizable, and the plating has been torn apart and scattered over a far wider area than the original width of the ship, but there are extensive areas of hull plating that remain flat, and in some areas roughly horizontal. They are probably the top of the double-bottom plating. This area is at about 14m deep and about halfway along the hull. There are few areas higher than 2 to 3 m above the reef, and the highest item by far is the block of the 8 cylinder low speed crosshead marine diesel engine, which stands upright on a botton of about 16 to 17 m and rises more than 10 m high. Much of the engine is missing, including the intake and exhaust manifolds and ducting, and any turbochargers that may have been fitted, but the remaining structure is still an imposing sight, looming out of the blue like a small block of flats. The crank case covers have mostly been lost, and the crankshaft, connecting rods, and in some cases the crossheads and piston rods, are visible.

The engine block is about 20 m long, and the aft end can be recognised by the flywheel. There is no gearbox as this was a direct coupled engine. There are several beams projecting horizontally from the starboard side of the block, which may have supported catwalks and ancillary equipment.

About 20 m to the north of the engine block there are remains of a water-tube boiler. The steam and water drums are now roughly vertical and the tube banks somewhat distorted, The drums project about 2 to 3 m above the adjacent wreckage.

Near to the boiler, probably less than 10 m to the east, there is the remains of a large centrifugal pump, which has a broken casing, and the interior can be seen.

Low areas under the wreckage between the rocks of the reef appear to be filled by small angular grit particles, of about 5 mm mesh size. This is the remains of the cargo.

Further to the southeast there is a small wreck which was initially thought to be the wreck of one of the ship's lifeboats, but is probably a much older wreck about 20 metres long, and a few hundred metres directly north of the small wreck there are several large sections of the superstructure and a short piece of the stern of the vessel, lying with the transom upmost, and the upper rudder bearing just above the sand. This may have been cut off to facilitate salvage of the propeller.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock probably of the Tygerberg formation.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind from all directions and swells from the north west and southwest, so should be dived when the sea is almost flat, and particularly the south west swell component is short period. The site is usually at it's best in summer but there may also be occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area where a strong south easterly wind sometimes develops in a short time, however the forecasts are usually reliable, and the wind is unlikely to be more than a nuisance on the way back.

Get in
The site is only accessible by boat. It is about 7.2 km from the Oceana Power Boat Club slipway.

Marine life
The wreckage is not heavily encrusted. There are large patches of juvenile black mussel (August 2011) sea urchins, and large numbers of West coast rock lobster, and the engine block has the large red-bait pods one would expect in this area. By February 2020, areas of large black mussels, and on some parts quite well developed sponges, bryozoan colonies and hydroid colonies.

Large shoals of Hottentot seabream can be seen over the wreckage.

Features
Wreckage of a large steel cargo vessel. mostly just mangled plates. but the engine, boiler and pump make an interesting dive, and the lifeboat wreck is worth a visit if you have the time

Photography
Wide angle. The wider the better, and hope for good visibility. If the viz is good the light should be sufficient to get some impressive shots of the huge wreckage. There is very little small stuff worth photographing at this site.

Routes
No specific routes recommended. If you start at the lifeboat wreck, you could spend about 10 to 15 minutes there, and then navigate to the engine area, which is about 325° magnetic, 100 m away. After the first 60 m or so you should see low wreckage over the bottom/ Continue until you reach the engine. From the west end of the engine swim due north magnetic about 15 m to the boiler, then due east about 10 m to the pump. To return to the engine block swim SSW 20 m.

Hazards
Strong surge is likely unless the sea is quite flat. There my be sharp edged wreckage, and the water will be cold. The wreck is fairly close to the northern edge of the main shipping lane of the approaches to Cape Town Harbour.

Skills
No special skills recommended. The site is suitable for entry level divers of reasonable skill if the conditions are good.

Equipment
Good insulation is recommended. A 7 mm wet suit or dry suit is suitable. A DSMB and reel are recommended if you are not going to ascend at the shotline. This will alert the skipper to your position and that you are ascending, and reduce the risk of being run down by other craft.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Robben Island area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Gemsbok

The dive site MV L M Gemsbok is an offshore deep recent wreck in the Sea Point area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S33°52.910' E18°20.315'

This site is in the Robben Island Marine Protected Area since 2019. A permit is required.

Name
The 39.2 x 8.3 m 314 grt single screw buoy tender MV L M Gemsbok built 1965, capsized and sank about 4 km from Green Point Light house on 2nd September 1975 while transferring an anchor chain of a cargo vessel. The chain snagged and the weight of the chain caused the vessel to capsize and sink within minutes. The wreck lies on its starboard side.

Depth
Deep dive: Maximum depth on the wreck is about 57 m on the sand, and the top of the port side is about 50 m. Average depth of the site is likely to be about 54 m.

Visibility
Visibility is unpredictable, and is not necessarily indicated by surface conditions. In December 2019 visibility exceeded 20 m under a 6 m layer of plankton bloom one weekend, and the next weekend it was less than 2 m all the way down, and almost totally dark at the wreck.

Topography
The wreck is substantially intact, with the mast still in place. There are a few places where hull plating has wasted sufficiently to break through. Th wreck lies on the starboard side on a fairly flat sand bottom with the deck almost vertical. The propeller is still in place on the shaft and there is a gantry mast and bow gantry still in place A large hatch on the foredeck gives access to part of the interior. The port bow anchor is in the hawsepipe.

Get in
Access to this site is only possible by boat, usually from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway at Granger Bay.

Marine life
Marine growth on the wreck is relatively sparse.

Features
Recent steel wreck of buoy and mooring tender vessel in substantially intact condition.

Hazards
Cold water. Nitrogen narcosis. Decompression sickness, Breathing gas emergencies. Sea and wind conditions changing during a dive.

Skills
Competence in planning and performing technical dives to depths beyond the range of recreational diving. Skill in the use of appropriate equipment and gases for the planned dive. Dives on this site will be decompression dives

Equipment
Dives on this site should make use of appropriate helium based gas mixes and equipment suitable for the planned profile. Redundancy of gas supply, decompression gases, Backup light, DSMB with reel, redundant buoyancy control, and adequate thermal protection for cold water (dry suits strongly recommended) are necessary. If penetrations are planned, the appropriate equipment must be used.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Table Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Katsu Maru

The dive site M.V. Katsu Maru is a recent wreck in the Hout Bay area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S34°03.917’ E018°20.957’
 * S34°03.910’ E018°20.942’ — (roughly midships on the hull)
 * S34°03.904’ E018°20.928’

In the middle of the mouth of Hout Bay, About parallel to and 30 m to the west of the wreck of the M.V. Aster

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.

Name
On the evening of 8th July 1978, the Japanese trawler Katsu Maru #25 was sailing in thick fog 22 nm West of Slangkop Lighthouse, when it was in collision with the 18,600 ton Norwegian tanker Team Pollux. The Katsu Maru was holed on the port side near the stern and the engine room was flooded. Immediately after the collision, Team Pollux launched a lifeboat which picked up the 21 man crew of the fishing vessel.

The salvage tug Agulhas was dispatched from Cape Town and towed the Katsu Maru #25 towards Hout Bay. As the tow entered the bay, the Katsu Maru started to sink but was towed to the beach and sank in a few metres of water.

Over the next few weeks, the Katsu Maru #25 was surveyed and it was found that the cost of repairs exceeded the insurance value of the hull. It was then decided to tow the vessel 35 nm offshore and sink it in deep water.

On 7th Aug 1978, the Katsu Maru was towed off the beach by the Agulhas, but while leaving the bay the tow parted and the stern of the vessel sank to the seabed. After bobbing around for 2 days, the bow sank on the 9th August 1978.

Depth
Maximum depth about 28 m meters in the scour at the bow and stern. The highest point of the wreck is at about 21.3 m depth.

Visibility
Visibility will vary from pretty murky at about 2 m to really good at over 20 m. Good visibility is more likely after a strong south easterly wind, which may cause a local upwelling of clear bottom water from the open ocean nearby. The good visibility usually only lasts a few days, after which plankton bloom may reduce it again, particularly towards the surface.

Topography
The hull is about 40 m long, and roughly 9 or 10 m beam, part of which is buried in the sand. The wreck lies on its starboard side heeled at slightly more than 90°, imbedded in the flat sand bottom at about 27 m depth. The bow points towards approximately magnetic south east. There is moderate scouring at bow and stern, usually to about 29 m maximum, depending on the tide. The superstructure deck appears to be buried almost to halfway, and the funnel is only just above the surface of the sand.

The hull is basically intact with a few holes rusted through, and still looks much like when it was afloat, but will probably deteriorate quite rapidly as the plating is getting very thin in places, and holes are appearing in the bottom and sides. The starboard side of the stern has wasted to about level with the flat surface of the sand, so if you go down the scour pit you will end up under or inside the hull. The stern deck areas are a bit cluttered with debris. There is an external bar keel about 150 mm deep along the length of the hull.

Interior:

There are a few places where access to the interior is reasonably practicable, though risk must be assessed by each diver on site as it will vary depending on skill and conditions.

The stern of the hull is accessible from the bottom of the aft scour pit, where the hull has rusted away. The interior in this area is a large compartment divided up by several structural components, including a small flat just below the deck (horizontal partial deck structure) The space is rather crowded by obstructions, but some movement is possible, though it may not be possible to turn around in some areas. The compartment appears to be connected through to other compartments further forward, but the space is very tight.

The side of the hull roughly level with the aft end of the superstructure has a large dent and the hull plating is torn, This hole is large enough to get into part of the machinery spaces, but the interior is very cramped and it does not look safe to go very far.

The wheelhouse is easily accessible by the door in the side of the superstructure, and the interior is reasonably clear, but the rest of the superstructure can be seen from there to be full of obstructions and snags, and there does not look like there are any alternative exits.

The main hold is easily accessible from the large hatch forward of the wheelhouse. this space is fairly large, and reasonably clear, and has numerous smaller openings to the outside, including holes in the bottom plating in the scour pit. The interior of the hold is reasonably clear and stable, but if a swell is running, the surge may cause strong flow through the holes, which could be dangerous.

The superstructure just forward of the main hatch has a door on the after bulkhead, which gives easy access to s fairly large and clear compartment with another access through a deck hatch leading to the outside near the level of the sand, The compartment is heavily silted. There is a fairly large and clear hatch leading into the hull in this compartment, but the space in the hull is fairly small, and there does not appear to be anything in it worth looking at.

The rest of the vessel is not easily accessible, if it is possible at all.

The wreck of the MV Aster lies to the north east of the Katsu Maru, at a distance of about 30 m.

Geology: Flat sand bottom.

Conditions
The site is exposed to south westerly swells, which can cause a strong surge. The site is usually at its best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by strong south easterly winds, resulting in cold clear water, which may develop a plankton bloom over a few days, which will reduce the visibility again.

Keep a lookout for times when the south west swell is low and short period, and there is not too much south easterly wind forecast.

Get in
Access is only reasonably practicable by boat. The site is about a 2.2 km ride from the harbour slipway. The wreck is in the harbour approaches, and there may be significant boat traffic.

Marine life
The wreck is heavily encrusted with common feather stars and sponges, with an exceptional display of Sunburst soft corals and some colonial ascidians and hydroids, and conger eels have been reported from the interior.

Encrusting invertebrates on the wreck include a yellow soft coral, white colonial ascidian, white tubular sponges, Multicolour sea fans, an orange encrusting sponge, beige fan sponges, Palmate sea fans, white nippled sea fans, brown encrusting sponge, Pustular tritons, orange feather duster worms, ribbed mussels, salmon pink encrusting sponge, arborescent bryozoans, stripe-mouthed squirts, brown trumpet sponges, Strawberry anemones, Striped anemone and Purple soft coral.

There are also 3-spot swimming crabs in sand and some large West coast rock lobster on the wreck.

Features
Recent wreck in fairly intact condition. The hull is said to provide challenging penetrations. The foredeck still has a large winch, and there are four gas cylinders on a rack.

Photography
Macro and/or wide angle equipment recommended.

Routes
Make your way to the nearest end of the wreck. move to the west side to the deck and superstructure and work your way along the wreck to the other end. There are a number of openings that you can look into, and in most cases a light will make a big difference in what you will see, as the hull is very dark inside.

From stern to bow the points of interest include: The quarterdeck, a group of high pressure gas cylinders near the funnel, a skylight for the engine room, a deep dent in the port side of the hull structure, a door into the superstructure on the port side, a door and window into the wheelhouse on the port side, a hatchway into the hold, a door into the forward superstructure and a hatchway to the same compartment, and a winch on the forecastle deck near the bow. The deck has more interesting details than the bottom. The sternpost is intact, with the stern gland for the propeller shaft clearly visible, but the rudder is missing.

Hazards
Cold water, occasional fog, boat traffic. Possible entrapment if the wreck is penetrated. Some of the structure may be unstable. Strong surge if the swell is large or the period long.

Skills
No special skills required unless penetration is intended. It is necessary to be qualified for 30m dives.

Equipment
A light will restore colour and allow you to look into the wreck. Reel and DSMB are worth carrying in case it is necessary to surface away from the shotline. A dry-suit is recommended as the water is cold, Nitrox is recommended to extend no-decompression time. If you carry a compass, be aware that the mass of steel of the hulls distorts the local magnetic field, and directions will not be accurate within a few metres of the wreck.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Hout Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches

 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Ker Yar Vor and the Jo May

The dive site MV Ker Yar Vor and the Jo May is a recent wreck site on an inshore rocky reef in the Karbonkelberg area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Position

 * S34°02.053’ E018°18.631’

These two wrecks lie next to each other approximately between the Maori and the Gelderland.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted area.

Name
The name "MV Ker Yar Vor and the Jo May" refers to the two wrecks which are the features at this site. The Jo May sank first and not much of her remains. The wreckage is identifiable as this was a wooden vessel.

The Ker Yar Vor was a steel lobster fishing vessel registered in Cape Town which was sunk on 10th August 1979 in Maori Bay

LOA approx 30 m, approx 300 ton

The ship was similar to the MV Aster,

Depth
Maximum depth is about 27 m. The top of the wreckage is about 24 m, and the local high part of the reef is at about 18 m. Average depth of a dive at this site is likely to be about 24 m.

Visibility
See SAS Gelderland. Visibility on a good day may be in excess of 20 m, but is more likely to be less than 10 m. A plankton bloom following an upwelling may reduce visibility at the surface, but it may improve considerably at depth, though it will probably be quite dark in these conditions.

Topography
The Ker Yar Vor is quite broken up, but the stern is still recognisable. It is the southernmost part of the site, which lies largely in a gap between a large pinnacle to the north east and a more extensive area of high reef to the west. Most of the Ker Yar Vor is in relatively small pieces. The Jo May is represented by a few pieces of wood. One is quite a large beam with brass or bronze drift bolts. This lies amongst the wreckage of the Ker Yar Vor to the east of the wreck.

Geology: Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
Conditions will be similar to SAS Gelderland, but the wreck is slightly more sheltered from south westerly swell by Duiker Point.

The site is exposed to north westerly winds and seas, so should be dived when the wind is from the south, preferably south east, and is often good in strong south easterly winds when most other sites are too exposed to be safe. The site is reasonably protected from south westerly swell.

The site is usually at it's best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings of clear cold water, caused by strong south easterly winds, resulting in good visibility (may exceed 20 m) and cold temperatures (as low as 8°C).

Get in
Boat access only. The site is about 7.7 km from Hout Bay harbour

Marine life
Like the rest of the bay between Oude Schip and Duiker point, the reef life is relatively low in invertebrate diversity, and dominated by algae, so it tends to be pinks, reds and browns. There are a few splashes of colour, and quite a number of sea urchins, but this is not a site for critters. In 2020 and 2021 parts of the reef at about 24m depth on steep rock faces were seen to have large numbers of young noble coral colonies, mostly between 25mm and 50mm tall. Brooding cushion stars are moderately common, and large areas are covered with red seaweeds

Features
The main feature of the site is the wreckage of two vessels, one in fairly broken, but still interesting condition, the other almost totally broken up and mostly gone.

Photography
Wide angle photography of the wreckage and surrounding reef structure is most likely to be worthwhile. On a good day the lighting may be adequate, and on a bad day, go somewhere else, or don't bother to try photography.

Suggested Routes
The site is small and compact, and may be comprehensively visited on a single dive. No specific route is recommended.

Hazards
This is the wreck of a small steel vessel. There may be sharp edges and pointy bits to snag the unwary diver, particularly if the visibility is poor and surge strong. There may be places an incautious diver could find to get trapped, but they are not obvious. There are no obvious penetration opportunities, and if there are, the interior space will be quite small. Hypothermia is far more of a risk.

Skills
No special skills recommended. Divers should be certified and competent to dive the depth, and ability to deploy a DSMB may be useful, however the site is compact and it should usually be possible to return to the shot line.

Equipment
Dry suits or very good wet suits are recommended, and Nitrox can significantly extend the dive time of a well insulated diver.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Oude Schip and Leeugat area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches

 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Rockeater

The dive site MV Rockeater is a recent wreck in the Smitswinkel Bay area on the Cape Peninsula side of False Bay, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

The Rockeater is a relatively bulky wreck for its length compared with the frigates Good Hope and Transvaal, and is quite a bit larger than the fishing boats Orotava and Princess Elizabeth. It extends further off the bottom, and provides a larger depth range at present than the others.

Position
The MV Rockeater is the southernmost of the 5 wrecks in Smitswinkel Bay.
 * S34°16.135’ E018°28.855’
 * S34°16.127’ E018°28.890’

This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required.

Name
The MV Rockeater was built in New Orleans in 1945 as a coastal freighter for the United States navy. The ship was bought by Ocean Science and Engineering (South Africa) in 1964 to be used for marine prospecting. The ship could be positioned with an accuracy of 8 metres using on-board instrumentation and shore based transponders, and could be held in place by four anchors or positioned dynamically by using the twin propellers and thrusters.

Seabed surveys were carried out using acoustic reflection profiling to map sands and gravels over the bedrock, and an airlift could be used to suck up bottom sediments for sorting and grading. The Rockeater was also equipped with a drilling derrick to take core samples. This was cut off before the ship was scuttled and lies next to the wreck on the starboard side. After twenty years of this work the Rockeater was in poor condition and no longer seaworthy. It was planned to use the ship as a naval target, but because of fears that she might sink at her moorings in Simon’s town, it was decided to donate her to the False Bay Conservation Society. The Rockeater was towed to Smitswinkel Bay on 15 December 1972 and scuttled.

Depth
Sand bottom is at about 34 m away from the wreck, and the depth alongside varies a bit. The scour pit at the rudder is quite shallow, the bottom is at about 34.7 m at high tide, while further forward it is about 33 m. The main deck is at about 32 m, and the top of the superstructure, which is the shallowest part of the wreck, at about 26 m.

Visibility
Visibility is variable, and may be quite poor at times. On a good day it may exceed 10 m, but even then it may be dark due to poor visibility in the surface waters. On a really good day visibility can exceed 15 m all the way to the surface, but this does not happen often.

Topography
The structure of Rockeater is basically intact as far as framing goes. Hull plating is still more or less intact, but superstructure plating is heavily wasted and there are big gaps between most frames. There are many openings in the deck and superstructure. Some of the superstructure has collapsed leaving only frames along the sides.

The wreck lies upright on flat sand at about 34 m, with bows to the west. The drilling derrick lies on the sand to the north west of the superstructure, and the helicopter pad has collapsed to port. The rest of the vessel is largely intact but has lost a lot of superstructure plating. The hull lies on the bottom buried to what looks like near the working waterline. Most of the rudder is buried in the sand and it appears to be bent to port, so it is possible that the lower sides of the hull have collapsed in much the same way as on the PMB. Otherwise as the draught is reported as 5.5 m, the hull must have sunk at least 4 m into the sand, which seems improbable. There is not much of a scour pit at the rudder.

There are a large number of openings into the wreck. On the waist deck there is a big rectangular hole in the deck plating and a number of smaller hatchways with raised coamings. There are several doors into the superstructure, and large areas of superstructure sides where the plating has wasted away almost completely,leaving only frames, which must be getting unstable and will no doubt collapse during a storm some time.

There is a lot of obscure structure on the deck, which was probably part of the drilling equipment, most of which has been removed or has collapsed. In good visibility the appearance should be quite impressive.

Geology: Flat fine white sand.

Conditions
The site is exposed to swell from the south east, and to a certain extent, from the south west. Longer period swell will make conditions on the wrecks uncomfortable or hazardous due to strong surge, but short period waves will just make it uncomfortable on the boat. Visibility is less predictable, and at this time is largely a matter of luck and reports from divers who were in the area recently.

The site is usually at its best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities at other times of the year, though least often in summer, when the south east wind tends to blow much of the time.

Get in
This site is only accessible by boat. It is approximately 5.1 km from Miller's Point slipway and 12.4 km from Simon's Town jetty.

Marine life
The wreck is too deep for much seaweed, but it is heavily encrusted with invertebrates, some of which are seldom seen anywhere else but the Smits wrecks.

Features
Recent wreck of a medium sized steel vessel in fairly intact condition.

Photography
If you have good visibility and lighting, there are opportunities for some good wide angle shots, and there are enough macro subjects of various sizes to keep the critter hunters happy. Due to the depth, use of powerful strobes set well away from the camera are recommended for all medium to wide angle work. unless you are happy to settle for monochromes in green.

Routes
No particular route is recommended. The wreck is small enough to visit quite extensively on a single dive, but there is enough to see to make it worth returning. Limited but challenging penetrations have been reported.

The Rockeater is the final waypoint of the Smits Swim, a dive tour taking in all five of the Smits wrecks on a single dive, and though you don't get to stay long on any of the others, if your air supply allows, there may be time to look around the Rockeater a bit before ascent.

Hazards
The structure has lost a great deal of strength due to corrosion, and it may be unstable. It will most likely collapse during bad weather, but should be considered a risk in a strong surge. Scorpion fish have been seen on the wrecks, and are well camouflaged. Their spines carry a dangerous venom.

Skills
Certification appropriate to the depth is expected. Some level of training or experience in wreck diving is recommended, and penetration should only be attempted by suitably competent divers after reconnaissance and appropriate planning.

Equipment
Equipment appropriate for the depth should be used. Nitrox is recommended for those competent to use it. A light is strongly recommended, and penetration should not be attempted without the appropriate equipment and planning. If you are not entirely certain what this would be, you are not competent to do the penetration.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Smitswinkel Bay area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Romelia

The dive site MV Romelia or Sunset Rocks is an inshore rocky reef with recent wreck in the Llandudno area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

Position

 * S34°00.732’ E018°19.811’ — (Inverted bow deck section)

North side of Sunset Rocks, Llandudno.

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required. The site is within the Karbonkelberg restricted zone.

Name
The tankers MV Romelia and MV Antipolis were under tow by the tug Kiyo Maru no.2 from Greece to scrap merchants in the Far East. On July 28, 1977 during a north westerly gale the tow cable to the Antipolis snagged on the sea bed. In the ensuing confusion the cables broke and the two ships were driven aground by the wind. The Antipolis ran aground at Oudekraal, and the Romelia at Sunset Rocks, Llandudno, where its back was broken by the heavy surf and the ship split in two. Later the bow section sank, leaving the stern mostly above sea level on the rocks. Over the years the stern section has also broken up and is no longer visible.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 24 m, but mostly quite a bit shallower. The bow area reaches sand bottom at approximately 20 m

Visibility
The visibility in this area is usually improved after a strong or persistent south easterly wind, which will usually also produce cold water. The visibility is adversely affected by any swell, particularly long period swell, as the surge that this causes picks up the bottom sediment and leaves the water full of particulates which cause the visibility to degrade and lots of backscatter in flash photos. On a good day with flat sea after a southeaster, visibility can be more than 20 m, but this does not usually last very long. 5 to 10 m is more likely, and it can be much worse.

Topography
Big granite corestone outcrops and boulders. The main line of big surface piercing rocks has lower reef to the north, much of it fairly flat, but with occasional high rocks. It slopes out gradually to about level with the end of the big rocks, then gets deeper fairly fast. Wreckage is concentrated along the line of the surface piercing rocks on the north side, in relatively shallow water (mostly 6 to 10 m), and round the end of the last rock to the west. The wreckage is mostly mangled plate, unrecognisable as to what part of the ship it originated from, with a few odd bits in the deeper area which can be recognised as pipe or catwalk fragments.

There is a chunk of bow deck which has inverted over some boulders just beyond the last exposed rock, with big winches and bollards hanging from it, and several metres of large stud link anchor chain wrapped around a huge boulder. There is also a section of mast slightly to the north.

Geology: Late Pre-Cambrian granite of the Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
Best in conditions of limited surge, as the wreck is shallow. Generally this means a low and short period south westerly component of swell.

The site is exposed to wind and swell from the south west and north west, but is protected from south easterly wind and waves, so should be dived during or after a period of calm or south easterly wind. The site is usually at its best in summer but there are also occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by south easterly winds, resulting in clear cold water rich in nutrients, which after a few days may develop a plankton bloom resulting in poor visibility.

Facilities
Limited roadside parking is available.

Get in
This site is dived from boats and from the shore.

Boat dive: The site is about 11.7 km from Hout Bay harbour.

Shore dive: Turn off Victoria drive [M6] into Llandudno road. The road makes a sharp bend to the right, but drive straight on into Fisherman’s Bend, and follow the signs for Sandy Bay. These will take you into Sunset Avenue, which goes down to the bottom of the mountainside. Park near to the vacant plot at the bottom of Sunset Avenue, just beyond the first house to the left on the bottom stretch of road. Entry and exit are at a gully directly opposite the vacant plot. There are alternative entries and exits but this one is said to be usable in most weather conditions you would be likely to dive.

Marine life
Shallow rocks have the usual red-bait zone, with lots of sandy anemones and striped anemones. There is a band of Black mussels in the intertidal zone round the rocks. The Kelp is largely Ecklonia in the shallower areas, with Laminaria deeper. The wreckage is heavily grown with algae on the top, Deeper flat rocks have large groups of urchins and grey cucumbers. In deeper water there are walls and overhangs with more colourful sponge and coral growth, but not as much as some other sites on this coast.

Features
Very broken up wreckage of a large oil tanker. There is a section of the bow deck which has inverted and wedged between some large boulders just offshore of the last exposed rock. This still has some large mooring winches, bollards and fairleads attached, and is an interesting place to visit. Most of the structure of the vessel is so broken up as to be almost unrecognisable, but there is a substantial section of faired mast near the bow wreckage, which may have been a foremast.

Photography
If the visibility and lighting is good, there may be opportunities for some fairly spectacular wide angle or fisheye shots, otherwise your best bet is probably macro, but this is not a site with a lot of macro subjects compared to others nearby. You dive here to see the wreck, not the reef.

Routes

 * Shore dive:Swim out on the surface to north of the second big rock, Dive a few metres away from the rock and explore the wreckage as you see fit.
 * Boat dive: Drop the shot at the inverted foredeck section, and explore this and the wreckage around the pinnacle in a clockwise direction. Return to the foredeck and ascend up the reef if conditions allow, as there is quite a colourful area near the top where you can do a safety stop and enjoy the view while you wait.

Hazards
Cold water, Strong surge in shallow areas. Ragged, sharp edged wreckage. Sea urchins. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time.

Skills
No special skills required.

Equipment
A light is useful for looking into the debris, and a compass will help navigate back to shore at the end of the dive, once out of the influence of the huge mass of steel wreckage.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Llandudno area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches

 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


text:
Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/MV Treasure

The dive site M.V. Treasure is an offshore recent wreck in the Blaauwberg area on the Atlantic coast near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

This is a relatively recent wreck of a huge vessel. The sheer size is awesome. MV Treasure was a 17-year-old Panamanian-registered bulk ore carrier which was transporting 140,000 tonnes of iron ore from China to Brazil when it sank off the coast of South Africa approximately 7 nautical miles north of Robben Island on 23 June 2000 after flooding due to structural damage caused by bad weather. The ship was 264.3 metres long, with a beam of 43.5 metres and draft of 17.4 metres. The ship spilled over 1,300 tons of bunker oil, which contaminated about 20,000 penguins on and around the island. This is considered the worst oil spill in South Africa's history. Sources state it was powered by a single 6 cylinder Sulzer low-speed diesel engine driving a single propeller. Some divers have claimed to have seen two propellers. A wake-equalising duct was fitted ahead of the propeller, which may be the cause of the confusion. The wreck has broken up and subsided considerably in places, leaving a somewhat wider debris field than when it sank, and a few islands of shallower wreckage along the length. The cargo of iron ore pellets is still mostly in the holds, as it is biologically fairly harmless and not worth salvaging.

Position
This site is not in a Marine Protected Area (2019). A permit is not required.
 * S33°40.443' E018°19.954'
 * S33°40.372' E018°19.978'
 * S33°40.312' E018°19.982'

Name
"MV Treasure" was the name of the ship when it sank.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 51 m, and the top of the deck varies between about 27 and 30 m. The structure has partially collapsed, and most is below 40 m.

Visibility
The wreck is in an area where visibility is not often good.

Topography
The vessel lies roughly upright on a fairly level bottom. The superstructure was removed shortly after the sinking by sawing it off with a cable towed by tugs as it was a hazard to shipping. It is not yet known where the superstructure lies in relation to the hull.

The MV Treasure had 9 large hatch openings with mechanised covers on the deck between the superstructure at the stern and the forecastle area in the bows.

The bow section has broken away from the rest of the wreck. This section is about 32 m wide and 25 m long (fore and aft) at deck level, and the bulwarks are still standing round the edges of the deck The bow area had a foremast with a small deckhouse at the base. The mast is gone, but the stub and the deckhouse remain. This is central on the bow deck, and the long dimension of the deckhouse is fore and aft. This means that the stem is directly in line with the long axis of the deckhouse. The deckhouse is narrow (maybe 1.5 m) and about 1 level high, and about 5 or 6 m long at a guess. There are some handrails on top, and the stub of the mast. The aft bulkhead has a large rectangular opening near the top which may have been a ventilator opening. There is an open doorway on the port side aft, and forward of this a hatch in the deck, also to port, and level with the front of the structure. The cover appears to be lying on deck nearby. Directly in front of the deckhouse is a fairly large winch, and to port and starboard are pairs of very large winches. One of these winches on the port side has a structure in front of it which looks like it may include two roller/sheaves and a hole much like a hawse pipe opening, but rectangular. There is no sign of chain on deck, and the winches look more suitable for handling rope, so the anchor handling gear may be below deck. There were indentations on the bulwarks, where the bulwark was stepped back from the edge of the deck, both port and starboard roughly abreast of the front of the deckhouse, but the bow section has broken away from the rest of the wreck just behind the port indentation, and forward of the starboard indentation, so only one is present on the bow section of the wreck. It is not clear what the function of these indentations was. There are several large pairs of bollards on the foredeck, and openings in the bulwarks fitted with what may be roller fairleads.

The bow deck section was continuous with the main deck which had the hatch openings to the holds, but is now broken off. There is another section of wreckage some 30 m to the north-east of the bow section, which is probably part of the hull including some of the main deck and part of a hatch opening The top of this section is at about 25 m depth. The almost level deck of this section has railings along at least one side, which would most likely be the side of the ship. The deck of this section is an L-shaped area about 35 m long and 25 m wide. To the north-east of this there is more wreckage a few metres deeper (about 35 m) and tilted at a greater angle. On this section some huge equipment has been seen, which is thought to be the hatch cover operating machinery, and the hatch opening to a hold.

The wreckage is continuous from bow to stern, but has collapsed in several places and there are small areas that remain at approximately the original level, with intervening sections collapsed to varying degrees and somewhat spread out sideways. The bow section has subsided a few metres and tilted so that the deck inclines quite steeply.

There is a propeller visible at the stern. Reliable sources claim that the ship had a single screw driven by a large diesel engine, but some eyewitness reports say two screws. The screw has a vaned annular duct fitted to the sternpost forward of the propeller to straighten and align the wake flow before it got to the propeller, to improve fuel consumption and reduce cavitation and vbration. This may have been mistaken for a second propeller in bad light. The top blade is bent at the tip. The stern area is said to be fairly intact, with the deck tilted down on the starboard side and the transom face more or less vertical. Because of this tilt, the propeller is only accessible from the port side slightly forward of the transom.

Geology: White sand at the base of the transom.

Conditions
The site is exposed to wind from all directions, and swells from the north west and south west, so should be dived when the swell is low and preferably short period.

The site should be at it's best in summer but there may be occasional opportunities at any time of the year

This is an area which sometimes has strong offshore winds which can come up quickly, resulting in a very bumpy return trip. Check the weather forecast.

Get in
Boat dive: Either 26 km from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway or the V&A Waterfront, or 12 km from Melkbosstrand

Marine life
(general description of biota)

Features
Huge steel structures, with vast openings and massive deck machinery. A large propeller with a wake-equalising duct. Probably also huge machinery in the engine rooms.

Photography
Almost everything is big, and the lighting and visibility are often not very good, so wide angle to fisheye with natural lighting is likely to get some interesting shots if the conditions are not too bad. Macro will work well enough, but the site is not a place to go for biodiversity, almost anywhere else will have better macro options. Photos showing interesting feature of the wreck, like the propeller(s) would be appreciated for use in this article.

Routes
No specific routes have been recommended, and the full extent of the wreckage has not been mapped. Drop a shotline on or near the highest point you can find and start there. Explore the quarterdeck, which may give access to the engine room, or move forward over the midships section with its huge hatch openings to the holds.

Hazards
This is a site where it would be possible to inadvertently wander into an overhead environment if visibility is low.

Skills
Advanced deep diving qualifications are expected. Deeper areas should be dived on normoxic Trimix.

Inadvertently swimming into an overhead environment is a serious hazard on this wreck, as you will drown if you don't find your way out. Make sure you can see natural light at all times, or use a cave reel or a line to a SMB

Equipment
The dive will probably require decompression, and will be relatively deep. Each diver should carry a DSMB and reel, as the wreck is huge and it may not be possible to surface on the shot line. Some level of redundancy of breathing gas supply should be carried, depending on personal skill and dive plan. It will probably be quite dark due to the depth and not very good visibility, and at least one good light should be carried. The water is usually cold, and a dry suit is recommended.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Robben Island area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Noah's Ark

 * Noah's Ark redirects here. For the geological formation on Mount Ararat known as Noah's Ark, see Doğubayazıt.

The dive sites Noah's Ark and the Ark Rock Wrecks are rocky reef and historical wreck sites in the Seaforth area on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand

These are minor wrecks of some historical interest and a large exposed rock surrounded by a small high profile reef. There are also a few isolated groups of rocks and structures that were part of a now disused naval degaussing range.

Position

 * S34°11.533’ E018°27.232’
 * 550 m north of Penguin Point. This is the biggest rock close offshore in the Simon’s Town area, and it is unmistakable as a landmark.
 * S34°11.603’ E018°27.198’
 * 120 m from Ark Rock at about 220° magnetic.
 * S34°11.545’ E018°27.173’
 * 70 m from Ark Rock at about 280° magnetic.
 * 55 m from Ark Rock pinnacle at 265° magnetic
 * S34°11.670' E018°27.196'
 * 247 m from Ark Rock at about 218° magnetic.
 * 116 m from Ark Rock Barge wreck at about 208° magnetic.
 * S34°11.632' E18°27.349'
 * 240 m from Ark Rock at about 160° magnetic
 * S34°11.616' E018°27.353'
 * 225 m from Ark Rock at about 155° magnetic
 * S34°11.477’ E018°27.172’ — (main section)
 * 120 m from Ark Rock at about 340° magnetic.
 * S34°11.497' E18°27.143' — (small section)
 * 120 m from Ark Rock at approximately 320° magnetic
 * S34°11.618' E18°27.277'
 * 150 m from Ark Rock at approximately 180° magnetic
 * S34°11.649' E18°27.220'
 * 197 m from Ark Rock at approximately 211° magnetic
 * S34°11.530' E018°27.306'
 * 85 m from Ark Rock at approximately 115° magnetic
 * S34°11.566' E18°27.287'
 * 90 m from Ark Rock at approximately 155° magnetic
 * S34°11.375' E18°27.125'
 * 320 m from Ark Rock at approximately 350°magnetic

These sites are in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. These sites are all entirely inside the Boulders Restricted Zone.

Name
The large rock at the site is marked on the SA Navy charts as "Noah's Ark", and is commonly referred to by local divers as "Ark Rock". The wrecks are associated with the rock by being nearby. There is a wreck of a barge just south of the rock, the wreck of a small steam powered vessel to the west and a larger iron or steel vessel, probably the Parana (1862), to the north west. Another small wreck of a steam powered wooden vessel lies to the south of the barge wreck, near a small group of large rocks, and a third boiler lies near a small group of rocks some distance to the east.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 14 m on the north side of the main reef and in the area of the main section of the Parana wreckage. Most of the area south of Ark Rock is sand bottom at 10 to 11 m depth, and most of the wreckage and rocks extend less than 3 m above the bottom.

Visibility
Visibility is not often very good in this area, but can be 5 to 10 m on a good day. It may vary among the listed sites even on the same day.

Noah’s Ark:
This is a huge flat topped granite boulder standing on even larger granite outcrop which extends above the sand level. The exposed rock is about 55 m long from east to west and 30 m from north to south. Mostly sheer sided with small overhangs and some deep crevices. The bottom is sand, sloping very gradually from about 10m at the south of the rock to about 8m near Penguin Point. There are a few pinnacles around the main rock, including one to the west, and at least two to the south.

The small pinnacle about 12 m to the west of the main rock rises to quite close to the surface and is topped by kelp. This pinnacle is at S34°11.530’ E018°27.207’ and could be a hazard to boats.

There are assorted cables lying around on the sand in this area which are remnants of the old navy degaussing range. Most of these appear to be south of the barge wreck.

Ark Rock Barge:
This wreck comprises the central section of a steel barge, probably a dredging hopper. The hold is about 3 m wide, with buoyancy compartments port and starboard, each about 1.2 m wide. The hull is level and projects about 2 m above the surface of the sand, Hull plating is gone along the lower sides but the ribs are still there. The hold is of heavier metal and is substantially intact, with heavy beams at deck level spaced about 2 m apart. A good wreck for beginners as it is not possible to get lost in it.

Boiler wreck 1:
This wreck is the remains of a small unidentified iron or steel vessel which has mostly rusted away, except for the boiler, what might be the engine crankcase and some of the nearby structure. There may also be more of the hull buried in the sand. Everything is heavily encrusted by crinoids, ascidians and other growth, making identification of the components difficult. The wreckage is about 19 m long, 6 m wide and 2 m high (boiler). The centreline of the vessel lies approximately 030° magnetic.

Boiler wreck 2:
This wreck is the remains of a small steam powered wooden vessel. Most of the hull has gone, but there is a small amount of hull bottom under the power plant. The most notable feature of the wreck is a small boiler, about 1m in diameter and 2 m long, standing upright on the remains of the hull. A couple of metres away is what is almost certainly the remains of the steam engine, but it is very heavily encrusted, and not possible to make out the details. The engine lies on its side. The wreckage is about 12 m long and 2 to 3 m wide, the top of the boiler stands about 1.5 m above the sand. About 20 m to the south east on bearing 135° magnetic, is a group of fairly large rocks. The full extent of this group has not been measured, but it is probably not very large.

Boiler wreck 3:
All that is visible of this wreck are two boilers. They are apparently identical, and about 2 m diameter and about 5 m long, with two fireboxes. Both are fairly intact, and the casing of boiler 3a has no visible openings through the pressure vessel, while an access opening to the pressure vessel is visible on boiler 3b partway along the left side looking from the firebox end. They appear to be Scotch boilers of fairly ordinary design, and both stand upright on the sand. There is probably more wreckage below the sand supporting the boilers, as if unsupported they would probably have bedded in more deeply. The fireboxes are open, and the outside is moderately encrusted with seaweeds and invertebrates. Boiler 3b is about 30 m on bearing 038° magnetic from boiler 3a. Close to the west of boiler 3a is a moderately large granite outcrop, and about 30 m to the north east of boiler 3b is a low flattish reef which drops off steeply to the north east.

Eastern Wreck:
To the east of Ark Rock is a small iron or steel wreck. The hull is almost complete in outline, with a few gaps. The wreck lies upright on the slightly sloping sand bottom at about 14m depth, with the bow to the north west. The hull is about 4 m wide, and probably about 10 m long. The remains of the topsides extend a bit over a metre from the sand in most places. No trace of a deck remains, and no trace of an engine can be seen.

Heat exchanger?
A heavily overgrown piece of wreckage about 2 m long and 1.5 m diameter lies on a fairly extensive and moderately flat rubble bottom at about 9 m depth. A hole in one end (probably the north end) allows a view of a perforated plate with possible tubes on the other side. This has the look of some form of heat exchanger, but probably not a boiler.

"Parana" 1862
The wreckage of an iron or steel ship which may be the Parana. The wreckage is mostly buried under the sand, with a long strip of hull plating and frames projecting about 0.5 to 1 m above the sand. The frame spacing is about 0.5 m, and a stringer can also be seen. There are two vertical cylindrical objects about 1.8 m diameter and a bit over a metre visible height with small rectangular horizontal openings on the sides, and some door frames and cast iron porthole frames mostly buried in the sand. The main debris field is about 40 m long and about 2 to 5 m wide at about 120° magnetic. Two other minor debris fields which may be parts of this wreck are known. One is to the north at an unknown position, and the other is to the south at S34°11.497’ E018°27.143’

Concrete pillar arrays
There are two groups of concrete pillars aligned in rows on the sand bottom. There is a double row, originally of 14 pillars in each row, spaced about 2 m apart and aligned magnetic north/south, with a gap of about 10 m between the rows. This group is centred at S34°11.618' E18°27.277'. The west row now has only 12 pillars, as the southern two have fallen over. They are about 200 mm diameter and about 2 m high. The east row still has all 14 and they are about 600 mm diameter and 3 m high.

There is also a single row of pillars, almost identical in size and arrangement to the larger row of the first group, to the west, and centred at S34°11.649' E18°27.220' and aligned magnetic east/west. The extended axis of this group intersects the south end of the first group, at a distance of about 88 m These pillars are about 2.5 m high.

Twin Barges
Two small steel barges, each about 17 m long and 4 m wide, in reasonably intact condition about 320 m north of Ark Rock, lying on sand at 23 m.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton, surrounded by fine white quartz sand.

Conditions
Can be dived any time the swell is low and the wind is not too strong. Mostly this will be autumn or winter, as a strong south-easter will push up an unpleasant chop. For a shore dive, choose a day when there is not too much wind, as this may set up a surface current.

Facilities
Parking for shore dives at bottom of Bellevue road at the penguin sanctuary.

Get in
Generally considered a boat dive from Simon's Town jetty or Miller's Point slipway, though all can be dived from shore entry at Penguin Point. There is a swim of about 30 minutes each way, which could be tiring in a chop. The Ark Rock is clearly visible and cannot be missed.

This site can also be dived as a coastal underwater orienteering swim. A route from the Pumphouse gulley at Penguin Point via Compass Reef, Photographer's Reef and North Photographer's Reef to Ark Rock, and returning via the Ark Rock Barge wreck, and Boiler wreck 2 to Boulders Beach has been planned and tested. The total point to point distance is about 2 km.

Marine life
Noah’s Ark: There is a band of Black mussels and barnacles around the rock to about 1 m below surface, then Red-bait on deeper surfaces. The vertical surfaces and overhangs are heavily encrusted with organisms typical of the area, and include sponges, crinoids, ascidians, sea cucumbers, hydroids and sea fans.

Features
See section on topography of each wreck.

Photography
(photographic equipment suggestions)

Routes
1. Boat dive: Put down a shot line over the Parana wreck. Descend and look at the wreckage, then swim a compass course of 255° magnetic for 58 m to a large piece of unidentified wreckage that projects about 2 m from the sand at S34°11,497’ E018°11.497’. This debris field is about 12 m long at 140° magnetic and may be part of the same ship. From this point swim 100 m at 177° magnetic to the Boiler Wreck, then either to Noah’s Ark 70 m at 098° magnetic or to the Ark Rock Barge 115 m at 184° magnetic. If you wish to continue to Noah’s Ark from the barge, the course is 040° magnetic for about 120 m. This route has not been tested. Alternatively, swim 116 m on bearing 208° to the Boiler wreck 2

2. Orienteering boat dive: This is a variation on the second long coastal orienteering dive listed below, but is shorter and skips the long swims to and from the shore. The total distance is about 1 km, and maximum depth about 15 m. (This route has not been tested).
 * From the west end of the wreckage of the "Parana", swim 46 m on bearing 233° magnetic to the south west section of the wreck of the "Parana".
 * From the south end of the small section of the wreck of the "Parana", swim 87 m on bearing 180° magnetic to Boiler wreck #1.
 * From the south west end of Boiler wreck #1, swim 115 m on bearing 182° magnetic to the Barge wreck.
 * From the south west corner of the Barge wreck, swim 73 m on bearing 182° magnetic to the Single row of pillars.
 * From the west end of the pillars, swim 40 m on bearing 236° magnetic to Boiler wreck #2.
 * From the boiler of Boiler wreck#2 swim 44 m on bearing 062° magnetic to the single line of 14 concrete pillars, and swim along the pillars to the east end.
 * From the east end of the single line of pillars, swim 89 m on bearing 080° magnetic to the double line of pillars, and swim to the east row (the bigger pillars).
 * From the south end of the east row, swim 83 m on bearing 125° magnetic to the reef at Boiler wreck #3. The boiler #3a is 20 m further east on the east side of the biggest rock of the group.
 * From the north side of the boiler #3a, swim 30 m on bearing 038° magnetic to the Boiler #3b.
 * From the north end of the boiler #3b, swim 139 m on bearing 337° magnetic to the Heat exchanger. This landmark is on a bottom of rubble, is overgrown with the same sort of organisms that cover the bottom, and is not very big. If you miss it and continue on the same bearing, you should get to Ark Rock after another 60 or 70 m.
 * From the heat exchanger, swim 70 m on bearing 050° to the Eastern wreck.
 * From the northwestern end of the Eastern wreck, swim about 60 m on bearing 290° magnetic to Ark Rock east side. You can swim round Ark Rock either way to the west side. The southern route is a bit more scenic, as you will pass the Twin Peaks pinnacles.
 * From the overhang at the west side of Ark Rock at 6 m depth, swim 15 m on bearing 315° magnetic to the Western pinnacle.
 * From the north western side of the Western pinnacle, swim 104 m on bearing 355° magnetic to the main section of the wreck of the "Parana".

3. Shore dive: Surface swim from entry at the low rock at the north of Penguin Point to the south side of Noah’s Ark (about 550 m). Descend and dive round the rock until back at start. Swim a compass course 220° magnetic along the sand bottom about 120 m to the Barge wreck. Do a quick tour of wreck and continue toward Penguin Point, crossing over some electrical cables on the way. It may be better to exit at one of the other exit points if conditions require.

4. Long coastal underwater orienteering dive #1 This area has been dived as part of a long orienteering route taking in Compass Reef, Photographer's Reef and North Photographer's Reef. The swim will take somewhat over an hour excluding time spent looking at the scenery and swimming around the landmarks, and depending on your cruising speed. The point to point distance is about 2 km.
 * Start at the "Pumphouse" gully just south of Belleview road. Follow the route to Compass Reef, Photographer's Reef and North Photographer's Reef given in the Photographer's Reef article, then swim 425 m on bearing 354° magnetic to get to Ark Rock. Along the way you may see the remains of instrument bases, with concrete pillars in two rows about 267 m from North Photographer's Reef. If you do you are a bit to the west of your desired course and should correct by about 3° to the east.
 * From Ark Rock swim 130 m on bearing 227° magnetic to the Barge wreck.
 * From the Barge swim 116 m on bearing 208° to the Boiler wreck 2
 * From Boiler wreck 2, swim about 400 m on bearing 220° magnetic to the beach at Boulders penguin sanctuary. You will have to surface when you come to the inshore reefs, as the water is very shallow over them, and you need to cross them to get to the small and very protected sandy beach. Use the steps to the left facing the beach to leave the beach. There is a no-entry sign at the steps to the right. The path leads back to the parking area at the bottom of Bellevue road.

5. Long coastal underwater orienteering dive #2 Another long compass navigation exercise is to dive all the Ark Rock wrecks and several of the other reefs and features on a single shore dive. This swim is about 1.8 km long. Large cylinders will be necessary. (this route has not been tested yet)
 * Start at Boulders Beach. Enter the water and surface swim out to the north side of the high rock in front of the exit steps.
 * Swim 250 m on bearing 038(040?)° magnetic to the low group of small rocks.
 * From the north side of the low group of small rocks, swim 100 m on bearing 035° magnetic to the Boiler wreck #2 with small group of high rocks to the east. The boiler is just to the north of a long low outcrop.
 * From the boiler of Boiler wreck#2 swim 44 m on bearing 062° magnetic to the single line of 14 concrete pillars, and swim along the pillars to the east end.
 * From the east end of the single line of pillars, swim 89 m on bearing 080° magnetic to the double line of pillars, and swim to the east row (the bigger pillars).
 * From the south end of the east row, swim 83 m on bearing 125° magnetic to the reef at Boiler wreck #3. The boiler #3a is 20 m further east on the east side of the biggest rock of the group.

 * From the north side of the boiler #3a, swim 30 m on bearing 038° magnetic to the Boiler #3b.
 * From the north end of the boiler #3b, swim 139 m on bearing 337° magnetic to the Heat exchanger. This landmark is on a bottom of rubble, is overgrown with the same sort of organisms that cover the bottom, and is not very big. If you miss it and continue on the same bearing, you should get to Ark Rock after another 60 or 70 m.
 * From the heat exchanger, swim 70 m on bearing 050° to the Eastern wreck.
 * From the northwestern end of the Eastern wreck, swim about 60 m on bearing 290° magnetic to Ark Rock east side. You can swim round Ark Rock either way to the west side. The southern route is a bit more scenic, as you will pass the Twin Peaks pinnacles.
 * From the overhang at the west side of Ark Rock at 6 m depth, swim 15 m on bearing 315° magnetic to the Western pinnacle.
 * From the north western side of the Western pinnacle, swim 104 m on bearing 355° magnetic to the main section of the wreck of the "Parana".
 * From the west end of the wreckage of the "Parana", swim 46 m on bearing 233° magnetic to the south west section of the wreck of the "Parana".
 * From the south end of the small section of the wreck of the "Parana", swim 87 m on bearing 180° magnetic to Boiler wreck #1.
 * From the south west end of Boiler wreck #1, swim 115 m on bearing 182° magnetic to the Barge wreck.
 * From the south west corner of the Barge wreck, swim 73 m on bearing 182° magnetic to the Single row of pillars.
 * From the west end of the pillars, swim 40 m on bearing 236° magnetic to Boiler wreck #2.
 * From Boiler wreck 2, swim about 400 m on bearing 220° magnetic to the Beach at Boulders penguin sanctuary. You will have to surface when you come to the inshore reefs, as the water is very shallow over them, and you need to cross them to get to the small and very protected sandy beach. Use the steps to the left facing the beach to leave the beach. There is a no-entry sign at the steps to the right. The path leads back to the parking area at the bottom of Bellevue road.

Hazards
No site-specific hazards have been reported

Skills
No special skills required. Reasonable fitness is necessary to do this as a shore dive, due to the long swim.

Equipment
A compass is necessary if you wish to return to shore or navigate between the wrecks under water, and a SMB is desirable to warn boats of your presence during the long swim. A light will help you see into crevices, but is not essential.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Seaforth to Froggy Pond area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/North Paw

The dive sites at North Lion's Paw or just North Paw are in the Clifton area on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The sites include North Lion's Paw, North Paw Cave Rock, Monty's Pinnacles, Barry's Pinnacles, the Northern Pinnacles and Eastern Pinnacle.

Understand
This can be a spectacular site in good conditions. It is an extensive area of granite reef, marked by exposed rocks identified on the charts as North Lion's Paw. A popular part of the site is the Cave Rock, a large arched granite boulder, which is slightly offshore from the exposed rocks. Monty's Pinnacles is a pair of pinnacles on an east-west ridge slightly to the north, Northern Pinnacles are further north and a bit east of Monty's, and the Eastern Pinnacle is to the east and a bit north of the main reef.

Position

 * S33°55.854’ E018°21.849’ — about 1 km offshore of the headland between Bantry Bay and Clifton

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.

Name
The name "North Lion's Paw" is an allusion to the mountain "Lion's Head" directly above Clifton. The mountain is likened to the head of a reclining lion, whose back is Signal Hill, and whose paws are the two groups of rocks to the south and north of Clifton. Monty's Pinnacles are named for the diver who found them on a scooter excursion from the Cave Rock in 2010. The Northern and Eastern pinnacles were found on echo sounder by Blue Flash charters during dives in the area, and are also identifiable on recent sidescan surveys of the region made by the Council for Geoscience for the South African Ecological Observation Network (SAEON) as part of the Fish and Invertebrate (FIN) reef monitoring project. Barry's Pinnacles were reported by Dive Action charters.

Depth
The main reef extends from above the surface to about 25 m in the immediate vicinity, while the other points of interest may extend a bit deeper to a depth of about 27 m, but do not reach the surface. Dives are likely to average about 15 to 20 m.

Topography
The whole area is an extensive granite reef. There are occasional sand patches in the bottom of gullies and other local low points, but most of the bottom is rock.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton

Conditions
The site is exposed to the south west swell, so should be dived in low swell, and is more likely to be good after south east wind. The site is reasonably protected from south east winds, and there is not enough fetch to push up much of a chop, but if the wind is strong the boat trip may be very bumpy and wet.

The site is usually at it's best in summer but there may be occasional opportunities in autumn and early winter.

This is an area which sometimes has upwellings, caused by the south east wind, resulting in cold clear water, which may develop a plankton bloom over a few days which will reduce the visibility again. However, the surface layer of "red tide" may overlay clearer water below, and for example, you may descend through 3 m of murky green water with orange flecks to about 10 m and into a relatively dark but clear bottom layer with visibility exceeding 15 m. It will still be cold — the temperature may drop by up to 3° at the thermocline

There may be a slight surface current, which can be inconvenient if you delay after entering the water, as you may then miss the shotline and end up on a different part of the reef.

Look for forecasts of several days of strong south easterly winds and low south west component to the swell. The waters off Clifton are relatively protected from the south easterly wind, particularly closer inshore, and the surface conditions in this area may be more pleasant that at sites further to the north or south if the wind is strong.

Get in
This is a boat dive. The site is about 7.2 km from Oceana Power Boat Club slipway, Granger Bay, or a bit further from Cape Town Harbour V&A Waterfront.

Do
Dive at one of the listed drop points and explore the vicinity.

 * S33°55.854’ E018°21.849’ — about 1 km offshore of the headland between Bantry Bay and Clifton. Maximum depth is about 25 m, and the top of the reef is exposed. The main reef is a cluster of huge granite corestone boulders, on a base of low granite reef. Some of the boulders have swim-throughs between or under them, and there are several very large overhangs, The side exposed to the south west swell has strong surge in the shallower parts, even when the swell is quite low and there is little surge at other parts of the reef. This is largely due to the varied heights of the tops of the boulders, which create gaps which accelerate the water flow. The leeward side is far less turbulent, and a more relaxed dive. Some of the swim-throughs are said to be quite large. The highest pinnacle extends above the water at all states of the tide.

 * S33°55.847’ E018°21.789’ — about 75 m to the west of the exposed rocks. Maximum depth is about 23 m, and the top of the rock over the cave is about 15 m. Average depth is likely to be about 18 m. The bottom is large flattish outcrops of granite, with a huge corestone boulder about 20 m long N-S and 10m E-W (magnetic) with a deeply concave underside resting on 3 points to form a cavernous swim-through arch, possibly 4 to 5 m high in the middle, where the roof will trap air bubbles. the north side has a small entry arch, but those to the east and west are large flat arches, probably over 10 m long in each case. The East and West arches are much higher than the north entry, and quite impressive. The rock surface this boulder stands on is fairly flat, sloping down slightly to the north, then quite steeply right at the north exit. The top of the rock is at about 15 m and the floor of the cave at about 22 m at the low point. There is another fairly large boulder to the north of it and another to the north west, both quite close and not nearly as large. The exposed rocks of North Paw are about 75 m inshore of this cave rock. This is a spectacular site in good visibility, and would make a very interesting night dive.

The eastern pinnacle is very sheer sided and only a few metres wide. The top is rounded and the north side slightly overhangs the bottom which is at about 20 m. The western pinnacle is wider and flat topped and also has very sheer sides to the north and west. The ridge between these pinnacles is jointed relatively closely, and has a grooved appearance. Beyond this relatively high section, the reef to the west is generally lower, at about 19 m on top, and there are a pair of outliers to the north of this ridge which are shallower than 18 m on top (probably 14 to 16 m). The bottom between these outliers and the main ridge is at about 25 m.
 * S33°55.797' E018°21.808' — about 100 m due north (magnetic) from the exposed rocks. Maximum depth at the base of the ridge is about 28 m, and the tops of the pinnacles are at 10 m and 12 m. This section of the reef is to the north west of the main reef, and comprises a long granite ridge rising from the bottom at about 25 to 28 m depth to the north and south, to a depth of about 19 m on top to the west, with two pinnacles at 10 m and 12 m. The 10 m pinnacle is at the east end of the ridge, which lies approximately east/west. The reef to the west slopes gradually down to about 32 m and is relatively flat.

The ridge has several interesting topographical features, including the pinnacles already mentioned, several cracks, and at least two swim-throughs, one of which is triangular in section and goes through the ridge from north to south, and is big enough to drive a scooter through at full speed without risk of touching the sides. The walls of this swim-through are covered with pink Noble corals. The triangular swim-through is to the west of the two pinnacles. The swim-through is reported to be about 30 m west of the pinnacles, at a depth of about 24 m, but this is not yet confirmed by survey.

There are sand patches immediately adjacent to the west side of the ridge both to the north and south, at estimated depths of about 27 m. The extent of these patches is not known, but they don't look very big.

 * S33°55.745' E018°21.879' — about 200 m due 037°(magnetic} from the exposed rocks. Maximum depth is probably about 24 m. Extensive areas to the north are about 21 m or slightly less. The top of the high pinnacle is about 5.5 m, and the lower pinnacle to the north is about 14 m. The Northern Pinnacles are about 140 m bearing 071°magnetic from Monty's pinnacle. A pinnacle rising from a relatively flat bottom of low reef at around 20 to 24 m depth, to roughly 6 m on the top. The pinnacle is steep and precipitous on most of the sides, and is surrounded by a number of lower but fairly rugged and steep rocks. The pinnacle is fairly flat-topped, and is about 25 m long and 8 m wide. The walls are indented by a number of shallow and deep vertical crevices, and the whole formation is covered by rather colourful benthic invertebrates, mostly sponges, sea cucumbers, strawberry anemones and ascidians. The top has a covering of large red-bait pods and some short kelp. Shoals of Hottentot seabream may be seen, and possibly shoals of Maasbanker. A short distance to the north there is a lower but wider pinnacle, rising to a bit less than 14 m. The adjacent reef further to the north and east is mostly moderate to low profile.

 * S33°55.807' E018°22.019' — about 270 m due 099°(magnetic} from the exposed rocks, and is about 240 m due 143°(magnetic) from Northern Pinnacles. Maximum depth about 24 m, and top of the pinnacles at about 10 m. The Eastern Pinnacle is about 45 m wide east to west and 40 m north to south at the 18 m contour. This is a compact pinnacle area with 3 peaks rising above the 12 m contour, and separated by deep, narrow gaps running roughly north-south. The central peak is the largest and it is nearly split by a deep crack running from south to north. The sides are quite steep, and the benthic cover is similar to that on the Northern Pinnacles at similar depth, but with fewer warty yellow sponges.

 * S33°55.841' E018°21.647' — about 300 m due 299°(magnetic) from the exposed rocks. Maximum depth about 27 m, and top of the big pinnacle at about 17 m. The two lesser pinnacles to the east reach up to about 20 m. Pinnacles rising to about 17 m depth were reported about 300 m directly offshore from North Paw main reef by Dive Action charters. There are at least 3 pinnacles running in a line from the highest in the west to east. Maximum depth reported is 27 m, but there should be 30 m within 100m of the pinnacle to the south west. The area is mostly low flat granite outcrops at 24 to 27 m, with occasional small sand patches, and quite a large area of low boulders to the south. The main pinnacle rises from a slightly undercut base at about 25 to 26 m, up to about 17 m on top. The sides are very sheer, and there is a lower boulder of considerable size just to the north. To the east there is a gap of several metres before reaching the second pinnacle, which rises from about 25 m to about 20 m, and a fairly narrow gap to the third pinnacle, which is of similar size.

Other parts of the reef

 * There is a tall narrow round topped isolated rock near to Monty's Pinnacles, and a sandy bottomed gully to the south of them, on the way to the Cave Rock. The positions of these are not recorded.
 * The area between Eastern pinnacle and Northern pinnacle appears to have a number of fairly large outcrops rising several metres off the bottom, but nothing as big as the two pinnacles mentioned. This information is based on sonar data from Blue Flash charters, and the area has not been dived.

Routes
The site is too large to see everything on one dive.

Main reef: — Drop in to the west of the exposed rock, dive to the bottom and work your way around the reef back to the west side. Take care if the surge is strong that you are not washed through a gap or over the top of the reef. This can usually be avoided by keeping deep on the south side if the surge is strong. The lee side is safer, and you can swim shallower here to extend dive time or just look at the shallower areas. Surface away from the reef so the boat can pick you up safely. This can be conveniently done by swimming north or west away from the reef at the safety stop.

Cave Rock: — There is a great deal to see by circling the rock and swimming through the cavern, then starting the ascent by working your way up to the top of the rock. If you have enough air, you can swim east from the east end of the arch to the main reef, where there is a huge amount to see. Follow the reef around to the leeward side (north side) if the swell is strong, and do not surface close to the reef on the south side, or you may find yourself unintentionally on the north side anyway. The boat will not be able to approach the reef closely from the south to pick you up.

Monty's Pinnacles: — Drop off the boat at the east pinnacle, and swim west along the ridge past the lower pinnacle to the triangular section swimthrough, through this, and back east to the pinnacle for your ascent. If you have enough air, explore the ridge further west before turning back east.

If you start at the main reef you could visit the northern pinnacles by swimming about 40 m due north magnetic from the northern extreme of the main reef, or about 80 m at 030°magnetic from the cave. The northern ridge is big enough to be an easy target.

Northern Pinnacles: — This would probably be a specific planned dive, with a shotline at the pinnacle, and divers dedicating the dive to the local area, but it could quite easily be reached from Monty's pinnacles on a compass swim. The course is 071°magnetic for 140 m. The pinnacle is a reasonably large target and should not be too difficult to find.

Barry's Pinnacles: — This would be a specifically planned dive, probably with a shotline at the pinnacle, particularly if there is a current running. The area is large and generally very open and flat except for the pinnacles, which are the main feature, The big pinnacle to the west will probably occupy your attention for most of the dive, but if you want to explore further, the two minor pinnacles to the east are worth a visit. Either return to the shot to ascend, or shoot a DSMB where it suits you best.

Marine life
Main Reef: —

Photography
A good site for macro and wide angle photography. External flash will usually be necessary for wide angle work.

Hazards
Cold water, Strong surge, and white water around the top of the main reef. Sea urchins. Strong offshore winds may develop over a short time. South easterly winds can cause a surface drift which can take you away from the place you want to be if you hang around at the surface, and swimming back to the shotline can be quite tiring.

Skills
No special skills required, though the ability to deploy a DSMB is useful in case you are separated from the group or need to surface away from the shot line. The site is generally a bit deep for beginners as surge in the shallow parts tends to be quite strong, and is only suitable for divers certified for depths over 20 m.

Equipment
A shot line and/or DSMB is recommended to control ascent rate and allow the boat to keep track of independent groups. A light will allow the full colour of the underside of the rock in overhangs and swimthroughs to be appreciated. A dry suit is recommended if you have the option as it is likely to be cold. This is a good site for photography, particularly under the cave rock. Nitrox can significantly increase no stop time. A compass will help if you want to visit different sections of the reef on one dive, and to swim away from the reef during the safety stop, so that you can surface in a convenient place to be picked up by the boat.

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Clifton area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula east coast
 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Oceana Power Boat Club slipway

Oceana Power Boat Club is a launch site for divers boats around the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. It's mostly used in summer, to reach northern dive sites of the Atlantic coast with a shorter sailing time. However it's also a popular launch site for fishermen, and when the Snoek or Yellowtail are running, access can be almost impossible.

Access

Access is controlled by Oceana Power Boat Club.

Position

 * S33° 54.099' E018° 24.887'
 * S33° 54.074' E018° 24.926'
 * S33° 54.062' E018° 24.928'

About 3.5 km from central Cape Town by road.

Conditions
Usually used in summer, when diving conditions on the Atlantic seaboard are more likely to be good.

Facilities
Open (hours). .

Divers are not officially allowed to bring their vehicles into the club premises, even for loading the boat. Only the launch vehicle and trailer are allowed inside. Other vehicles must be parked outside. This rule is applied unpredictably, so you may be able to unload and then park outside. There is a tarred parking lot next door with a reasonable amount of parking, shared by a restaurant. Daily rate applies, and get a receipt as there have been scams by people impersonating attendants. Some days in high season it is difficult to find parking, but divers are usually there before the restaurant patrons arrive. Other parking is even less convenient along the road to Mouille Point.

There is a floating jetty in working condition, but somewhat shabby, and the access walkway can be very steep and rather slippery at low tide.

The clubhouse, when open, has clean toilets in good condition, but this is not a changing area or intended for wet access.

There is also a bar and kitchen, which serves acceptable fast food items at reasonable prices, but the staff is small, and on a crowded day the wait may be long.

Fees
A launching fee of R40? is charged for boats.

There is a charge of R10 per day (2016) for parking in a fenced parking lot just outside the club grounds. Security is probably better than it was before this parking area was available, but the attendants may not be on duty when you arrive. In this case, drive in and park, you will be charged on exit.

Hazards
Security of vehicles parked outside is uncertain. Lock up and don't leave anything tempting visible in the car.

The slipway and boarding area can be slippery when wet. Watch your step, particularly at low tide.

Return to Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Outer Photographer's Reef

The dive site Outer Photographer's Reef is an offshore rocky reef in the Seaforth area of Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Understand

This is just one of the many smaller offshore reefs in the 20 to 30 m depth range that can be found along the coast of False Bay south of the Roman Rock reef complex, where there are a moderate number of scattered granite outcrops of various sizes, many of which are virtually unknown.

Position

 * S34°11.778' E018°27.898'

Name
The name "Outer Photographer's Reef" refers to its position offshore relative to Photographer's Reef

Depth
Maximum depth is about 29 m at the reef edge, though at high tide it will be a bit more, and 30 m can be found a short distance away. The top of the reef is about 18 m, with a minimum depth of 16 m at low tide.

Topography
The main reef is a ridge of granite approximately 170 m long and 35 m wide, with the long axis bearing roughly 315° magnetic. The reef is surrounded by sand. The long sides are very steep, and overhang in places on the south-west wall, which rises from the sand at about 27 m to about 18 m. On the south-west side there is also a deep gully with sand bottom, which splits the reef into two sections, one very much smaller than the other. There are a few low outliers off the ends and to the sides which have not been mapped. The north western end slopes down quite gradually from a tabular top at roughly 18 m depth, which ridges up slightly to the south east to a minimum depth of roughly 16 m at low tide. The north-east wall is a little deeper both at the top and bottom, and not quite as sheer.

There are a few outliers of substantial size. To the south there is a large outcrop rising to about 20 m on top, with a transverse crack down to the sand, somewhat less than a metre wide. To the northeast there is another outcrop said to rise to about 19 m, and there are several low boulders scattered around the reef.

Geology: Granite of the late Pre-Cambrian Peninsula pluton.

Conditions
The site is usually at it's best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities in other seasons.

Get in
This is a boat dive. It is too far offshore to swim as a shore dive. The site is about (distance) km from Simon's Town jetty and the False Bay Yacht Club, or (distance) km from Miller's Point slipway.

Marine life
The top of the reef is heavily covered with feather stars and grey sea cucumbers, but is too deep for kelp, and though there are some sea squirts, they are not the dominant species. In May 2022 the southern outlier was heavily covered by small golden sea cucumbers, with a few other species scattered around. Purple sea pens can be found on the sand.

 * The main reef is wall sided on both long sides, and there is a deep sand bottomed gully and a slight overhang on the south-west side.
 * The southern outlier is also fairly flat topped, with steep sides and a large transverse crack extending down to the sand.

Suggested Routes
No specific route recommended. The site is small enough to visit most if not all of it on a single dive. The upper surface is relatively monotonous, so start by going down to the sand, then explore the wall, The south-west side is more topographically varied.

Hazards
No site specific hazards known.

Skills
No special skills required. Certification appropriate to the depth will be expected. Ability to deploy a DSMB is recommended.

Equipment
No special equipment required. A DSMB is recommended in case you need to ascend away from the shotline.

Nearby

Back to the list of Alphabetical list of sites, or dive sites in the Seaforth to Froggy Pond area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area


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Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/P87

The dive site P87 is an offshore recent wreck in the Glencairn area on the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
Wreckage of a small wooden naval patrol boat on a sand bottom.

Position

 * S34°09.570’ E018°26.420’

Bearings: ¼ nm south-south-west of the Quarry Barge

This site is in the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area since 2004. A permit is required.

Name
The name "P87" is derived from the name of the vessel.

Depth
Maximum depth is about 16 m.

Visibility
Visibility will usually be much like other sites north of Simon's Town. A large or long period swell will pick up the fine bottom sand, but the swell is usually much reduced in this area.

Topography
A small amount of low profile wreckage, mostly hull planking with frames and a few loose pieces. Mostly buried or partly buried in the fine sand of the area. To the north there are a few scattered outcrops of hard sedimentary rock. These are low and very blocky, and at first sight look unnatural, due to flat surfaces and straight edges, but they are rock and sound like rock when hammered with a loose stone.

Geology: Hard sandstones of the Peninsula formation surrounded by fine flat silica sand.

Conditions
The site is exposed to south easterly winds and waves, so should be dived in winter, when there is less south easterly wind, and is often good in normal winter westerlies. The site is reasonably protected from southwesterly swell.

Get in
Boat access only. The site is theoretically within swimming distance from the shore for a strong swimmer, but without a GPS there is little chance of finding the wrecksge. The site is about 3.7 km from Simon's Town jetty, or 8.5 km from Miller's Point slipway.

Marine life
The wreckage is very low and flat and may often be covered or partly covered by sand, which would explain why the wool planking is mostly bare. Small amounts of local sessile reef life lives on the higher parts and particularly on the low rocky outcrops to the north, but in comparison with most reef and wrecks in the region it is barren. Some of the wood looked as if it was normally buried, but may have been cleared for use as nesting sites by Steentjies, a local fish which lays its eggs on a bare surface which the male keeps clean during the breeding season.

Features
Low profile wooden wreckage, mostly concentrated over a small area, and without much sea life.

Photography
There is very little that most photographers would want to record.

Suggested Routes
Probably best done as a double dive along with the Glencairn Barge wreck. In ten to fifteen minutes you could comprehensively visit this site. Use a shotline to mark the position, and descend and ascend at the shotline.

Hazards
No known site specific hazards. There is a remote possibility of seeing a Great White shark.

Skills
No special skills required or recommended. The site is suitable for entry level divers

Equipment
No additional equipment recommended

Nearby

Back to the Alphabetical list of sites, or list of dive sites in the Fish Hoek and Glencairn area

Other regional dive sites:
 * Dive sites of Table Bay and approaches,
 * Dive sites of the Cape Peninsula west coast

 * Dive sites of False Bay offshore and approaches
 * Dive sites of False Bay east coast
 * Fresh water dive sites of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area